A Dallas County Grand Jury has indicted Derick Wiley, a former officer for the Mesquite Police Department, for shooting Lyndo Jones last month as Jones attempted to disable his truck's alarm system. The grand jury charged Wiley with aggravated assault by a public servant, a felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison.
After the indictment came down Wednesday afternoon, Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said she agreed with the grand jury's decision to indict Wiley.
"The grand jury got it right," she said at a press conference. "We will be seeking the maximum punishment."
At about 7 p.m. Nov. 8, Wiley responded to a 911 call about a car being broken into in a parking lot on Town East Boulevard in Mesquite. Jones' car was the only one in the area.
"Mr. Jones didn't give the officer ample opportunity to start an investigation," Mesquite police Lt. Brian Parrish said at a press conference after the shooting, and Jones and Wiley got into a struggle. Wiley shot Jones twice, but Jones continued to struggle, Parrish said. Eventually, he said, two more officers showed up on the scene and helped Wiley subdue Jones.
Jones' attorney, Lee Merritt, disputed MPD's version of events. Jones was in his truck, unable to turn off his alarm after a minor traffic accident, Merritt said, and Wiley told him to get out of his truck. When Jones did and tried to explain what was going on, Wiley shot him in the stomach, Merritt said. Jones was unarmed.
Wiley turned himself in and posted $300,000 bail Wednesday afternoon. He is the third Dallas County police officer indicted in 2017, something Johnson took pains to note during the press conference.
"When you look at what has happened in 2017, there have been three indictments on Dallas County police officers," she said. "I think that this office is getting the job done. ... The only thing we're trying to do is make sure justice is done for the people of Dallas County."
Like Wiley, former Dallas officer Christopher Hess and former Balch Springs officer Roy Oliver are awaiting trials. A grand jury charged Hess with aggravated assault by a public servant for his role in the January shooting death of Genevive Dawes. Oliver faces murder charges for shooting and killing 15-year-old Jordan Edwards as Edwards, his brothers and friends drove away from Oliver and his partner after the officers broke up a party in Balch Springs.