Judge Lowers Bond For Fort Worth Police Shooting Suspect
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A judge in Fort Worth held a hearing Monday to determine whether or not the suspect in a police officer's shooting should be released from jail. The judge has tentatively ruled that the bond for Ed McIver Jr. is to be lowered from $2 million down to $17,000 for attempted capital murder and two lesser counts.
Defense lawyers for McIver said that he cannot afford even the lowered bond because he has been locked up for the past three months. McIver's court appearance on Monday was the first that the suspect had been seen since his arrest back in March, as McIver and his father were involved in a police chase and shootout.
Dashcam video of police pursuing the suspects was shown during the Monday hearing. An officer also testified that, after the chase, McIver got out of a small SUV with his father, holding a long-barreled gun. The officer was concerned, he testified, that McIver would hurt people -- including authorities.
According to defense lawyers, McIver's father gave him two weapons before fleeing. Evidence shows that neither weapon was fired during a shootout that claimed the life of McIver's dad and left Officer Matt Pearce in critical condition. Pearce was shot seven times. He is now recovering at home.
Read More About Pearce's Recovery
McIver's attorneys said that their client should be released because, just last week, a grand jury declined to file charges against him. The district attorney quickly refiled the same charges. Prosecutors on Monday asked that McIver live in Tarrant County and not be allowed to have access to any firearms.
The judge ruled that McIver must remain in Tarrant or Parker County, must surrender his passport, must wear a monitoring device and adhere to a curfew. He will not be able to own a firearm, nor will anyone living with him. However, despite the new conditions named Monday, defense lawyers said that McIver still cannot afford bond -- he could only come up with $10,000.
