POCATELLO On Thursday afternoon, a man convicted of shooting at police officers received a 40-year prison sentence.
Todd Vernon Brewer was convicted on two felony counts of aggravated assault and aggravated battery on specific personnel.
Todd Vernon Brewer, 48, was given a sentence of 20 years fixed and 10 years indeterminate by District Judge Javier Gabiola for aggravated violence offenses. The sentences are to run consecutively to one another.
Gabiola sentenced the defendant to 10 years indeterminate and 10 years fixed for the serious assault counts, with an extra 10 years for the enhancement offenses. These must occur after the two accusations of aggravated battery.
After shooting Demetrius Amos and Mackenzie Handel, two Pocatello Police Department officers, Brewer was taken into custody on May 5, 2022.
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According to Brewer’s lawyer, John Scott Andrew, the events on the evening of May 5, 2022, were not typical of Brewer.
Brewer’s mental health concerns, which plagued him throughout his life, were the cause of a sequence of events that culminated in the tragedy.
According to Andrew, Brewer’s inability to pay for his prescription drugs made him nervous and led him to drink that evening to relax because he thought someone was going to hurt him. As a result, he reached for a gun to defend himself.
According to Andrew, he insisted that he was unaware that they were law enforcement officials and continued to believe they were gang stalkers.
Bringing up the trial, Andrew criticized the narrative that Brewer had pointed his firearm at officers and the evidence that was put forth. He pointed out that while the prosecution claimed his client had pointed the gun at them, the footage showed Brewer seated on the porch.
According to Andrew, he had no intention of shooting at officers. Tragically, people are being shot and suffering serious injuries.
Andrew informed the court that Brewer gets upset everytime they talk about the matter and that his client had told him that he wanted to take back his conduct.
In hindsight, Andrew claimed that Brewer advised him against using alcohol to cope with his mental illness that night.
According to Andrew, he is determined to act morally moving ahead.
Andrew suggested that he be placed on probation with time served as part of the underlying punishment.
When talking about Brewer’s treatment choices, Andrew mentioned that he was considering inpatient therapy. Since his detention, he has been taking his prescriptions.
According to Andrew, our goal is to give him enough time to have some chance of leaving and undergoing therapy.
Before coming for his hearing, Brewer was given an opportunity to speak and read from a note that was delivered.
As he began reading the note, Brewer broke down in tears and expressed his apologies for ever hurting the police and his sympathy for their suffering.
“At the time I testified, I didn’t think they were officers, but I’m protecting myself from people,” Brewer stated.
Brewer talked about how his life has changed after the incident because of the injuries he had from the officers shooting him in the leg and stomach. He developed a persistent limp as a result.
He wrote down that he now realizes that alcohol exacerbated the situation, leading to what happened that day.
“I never forget the seriousness of what happened,” Brewer remarked.
Brewer requested to be put in a treatment program and informed the court that he is committed to taking care of his mental health.
“What happened that night does not represent who I am,” Brewer stated. I wish I could undo what transpired that day, but I can’t.
The defense and Brewer’s speech were criticized by Bannock County Prosecutor Ian Johnson, who pointed out that Brewer had been battling mental health concerns for 20 years. However, gang stalkers were mentioned for the first time on the night of the tragedy.
According to Johnson’s assessment, gang stalkers resembled police officers a great deal. He ought to have recognized them, but his delusion has prevented him from doing so.
Another aspect of Johnson’s problem is that Brewer ought to have dealt with his mental health concerns for 20 years. Johnson claimed that despite receiving very little care during his imprisonment, Brewer has remained in control and hasn’t acted violently.
Past conduct is the best predictor of future behavior. “We’ve seen 20 years that he hasn’t been able to cope or deal with the issues that he’s expressed, even by his own voice and statement on stand at the trial,” Johnson said.
According to Johnson, putting Brewer on probation is risky. He suggested that Brewer be given a five-year fixed sentence for the two aggravated assault offenses and an extra 15 years for the enhancements.
Johnson suggested a 20-year fixed and five-year indefinite term for the battering of certain personnel, which would run concurrently and consecutively to the previous offenses.
Before Brewer was sentenced, Gabiola informed him that he had noted that Amos nearly died as a result of the action he had done that evening while watching the trial and listening to the testimonies.
The victim called 911 the night of the incident, and according to Gabiola, the victim showed Brewer that he was doing so, so the man should have known they were going to his house.
Brewer’s reaction, according to Gabiola, was to seize an AR-15 weapon and obtain ammunition designed especially to penetrate body armor.
According to Gabiola, both Amos and Handel are fortunate to be alive.
Gabiola acknowledged Brewer’s mental health and said they are important to him because, while his incarceration, he has been forced to take his medicine. He stated that his purpose as a judge is to safeguard society since he thinks Brewer wouldn’t take his medicine if he weren’t in jail.
“It was horrifying what you did,” Gabiola remarked.
Following Brewer’s sentencing, Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei told EastIdahoNews.com that he is still processing the penalty Gabiola imposed on Brewer.
I concur with Judge Gabiola’s assertion that his decisions and conduct were appalling and endangered the community’s law enforcement officers, Schei added. I think you are aware of how heroic those officers were.
Schei admits that Amos and Handel, as well as everyone else in the room that evening, were tested and showed incredible fortitude, as did others who helped the officers later.
Amos has been promoted to corporal with the Pocatello Police agency, whereas Handel is no longer with the agency because he is in New York.
According to Schei, everyone present that evening demonstrated their leadership abilities.
