Modesto man faces multiple life sentences for shootout that critically injured police officer
A jury convicted a 45-year-old Modesto man of three counts of attempted murder of police officers and other charges connected with a 2021 shootout that seriously injured a Modesto police officer.
Jesse Brooks, who has a previous conviction for a serious felony, could face multiple life sentences. Brooks was also convicted of three counts of assault with a firearm on a police officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and a gun enhancement for causing serious injury to a police officer.
The shooting occurred Aug. 14, 2021, when Modesto police officers served a search warrant at an Orangeburg Avenue address. According to facts in the case, Brooks was inside the dwelling and said he would not return to prison but would shoot it out with the officers.
Brooks, who armed himself with a gun, was barricaded in a room. He fired a dozen rounds at officers. Officer Michael Rokaitis suffered a gunshot would in the abdomen and was struck on the upper portion of his bulletproof vest.
As officers returned fire, Brooks was struck by several rounds. Both Rokaitis and Brooks were taken to the hospital. Rokaitis was treated for critical injuries and almost died. One of his legs was amputated because of the severity of his injuries. The officer later was awarded the law enforcement Medal of Honor for his actions.
Rokaitis, who underwent surgeries and learned to use a prosthetic leg, returned to duty in 2022 about 16 months after the shooting.
'Violence against police officers is an attack on the rule of law and public safety,' Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero said in a news release. 'Our community will not tolerate such violence, and I have zero tolerance for such acts and will ensure that those who commit such acts are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'
The conviction could result in sentences totaling 155 years in prison for Brooks. A sentencing date has not been set.
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