Man guilty of shooting at cop 'a bad dude'

Northern York County Regional Police Chief Mark Bentzel didn't mince words.

"This is a bad dude," he said. "I don't care if he ever gets out of jail."

The "bad dude" Bentzel was referring to, Trev Bowies Jackson II, is looking at a sentence of up to 40 to 80 years in state prison following his conviction on charges related to the attempted murder of one of Bentzel's police officers, Patrol Officer Lynn Anderson. 

Thursday morning, after deliberating for four and half hours over two days, a York County jury convicted the York man on all charges related to the Nov. 22, 2015, attempted murder of Anderson, who had pulled him over for failing to use his turn signals.

READ: Terrorism verdict reached in 'war' against Loganville troopers

Jackson, who was on parole for drug charges at the time, fired three shots at the officer during what had been described as a routine traffic stop. One of the shots narrowly missed Anderson's head. Jackson had testified that he wanted to "create some space" between him and the officer so he could flee, not wanting to go back to prison since, at the time, he was in possession of marijuana and an illegal handgun, both parole violations that would have cost him five years.

As the jury returned the verdict, Jackson displayed no emotion. An audible gasp could be heard in the courtroom, coming from the crowd of police officers who were sitting with Anderson in the front row, right in front of the jury box.

Prosecutor David Sunday said he would seek the maximum prison sentence.

"Based on the defendant's past behavior and the fact that he tried to shoot a police officer in the head and kill him, he shouldn't be allowed in society,"' Sunday said. "The true blessing is that Officer Anderson is still alive.

"It goes to show that no matter how simple the job looks, every single police officer could be shot and killed."

Bentzel praised Anderson's dedication and professionalism. "The first day he was back to work, I was driving to work when I heard his badge number on the radio, making a traffic stop, doing the same thing when this happened," he said.

Video shows man shooting at Northern Regional police officer

Bentzel said Anderson received a lot of support from his family and from the law enforcement community.

After the verdict was read, Anderson, a 30-year-old seven-year veteran of the department, left the courthouse and went back on duty – training with the county Quick Response Team.

"That's telling of what kind of person he is, and what kind of police officer he is," Bentzel said. "He is a great police officer."

The shooting, captured on video by the dashboard camera in Anderson's cruiser, occurred at about 10 p.m. The video showed Anderson pulling Jackson over and after detecting the odor of marijuana wafting from the car, asking Jackson to step out. While Anderson was reaching for his handcuffs, Jackson wheeled around and fired a shot inches from Anderson's head, so close that it left powder burns on the officer's face.

As Anderson sought cover, Jackson fired two more shots and then fled, ditching his car a few blocks away. Anderson fired at the car as it fled, striking Jackson in the left hand.

READ: Police find meth lab inside Peach Bottom dairy barn

Jackson then stole a bike from a shed and made his way to a former girlfriend's house, where he patched up his wound. He went on the lam, sparking a massive manhunt. He was arrested four months later in Philadelphia.

Specifically, he was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, reckless endangering another person, burglary, theft and receiving stolen property. The charge of assaulting a police officer carries a mandatory 20-year minimum sentence. The minimum sentence for attempted first-degree murder is also 20 years.

Jackson's attorney, R. Davis Younts, said, "We absolutely respect the jury's verdict. It was a difficult case." He said he would be looking for issues to base an appeal upon.

Judge Michael Bortner scheduled sentencing for April 25.

Jackson remains in York County Prison on his parole violation.