PURVIS, Miss. (WDAM) – Troy Johnson, a Lamar County man accused of shooting a deputy police officer in connection with other crimes, was found guilty Friday in 15th Judicial District Court.
Johnson was found guilty of all charges, including two counts of attempted capital murder, two counts of auto burglary, one count of residential burglary and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
It was an emotional day in court for both the defense and the prosecution.
Investigator Steve Pazos, then a deputy, was the first to take the stand Friday.
Pazos is the law enforcement officer who was shot and killed by Johnson on December 12, 2022.
In his testimony, Pazos said he was working the night shift when their department began receiving calls about numerous car burglaries in the rural Oak Grove area.
Once a description of the suspect and his location were given to deputies, Pazos went to his home on Burnt Bridge Road and hid behind a pine tree in case he returned home.
Pazos later returned to his vehicle and learned that the suspect had jumped a fence and was running on Old Highway 24. A pursuit ensued.
Pazos turned on his headlight and blue lights and tried to block it with his vehicle. Johnson ran around the car and continued to flee.
At that point, Pazos pulled out a stun gun and shouted commands at Johnson. Deputy John “TJ” Vaughn, who had testified the day before, arrived on scene and attempted to turn in front of Pazos for cover.
Johnson turned around three times, then pulled a gun from his waistband and fired five shots at the deputies.
One of these bullets hit Pazos in the back.
The second bullet hit Vaughn’s car just above the passenger headlight.
Asked by prosecutor Kim Harlin about the feeling of being shot, Pazos described it as when someone takes something out of a fire pit and presses it against the skin.
Pazos went behind Vaughn’s car, where Vaughn began administering life-saving aid. Deputy Seth Blackmon arrived at this point and provided cover for both of them while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
“It’s really hard to put into words everything you’re thinking,” Pazos said.
The bullet entered just under the vest, on the left side. The vest Pazos was wearing was presented to the jury. His blood was still on the jury.
The bloody vest Steve Pazos was wearing the night he was shot was presented to the jury.(Abigail Troth, WDAM 7)
He used Siri to call his wife and inform her that he was injured and needed to go to the hospital. He then called his brother in Louisiana and asked him to come to Hattiesburg to be with his family at that time.
Pazos thought this was the last time he would talk to his wife and brother.
In the ambulance, Pazos asked paramedics to wipe his face so that his wife wouldn’t see him crying.
After arriving at the hospital, Pazos learned that the bullet had not hit anything serious and had gone straight through. He stayed in the hospital for less than a day and had to drain the wound to heal from the inside.
He still has two scars.
Footage from the camera Pazos was wearing when he was shot was entered into evidence and shown to the jury. As the footage was shown, Pazos became more and more emotional.
Steve Pazos became emotional during his testimony.(Abigail Troth, WDAM 7)
“We got you right here, buddy,” Vaughn told Pazos as he administered medical aid.
Pazos could be heard groaning in pain while being groomed and repeatedly said “it burns.”
“Is that bad?” – Pazos asked at one point. “Don’t lie to me. Don’t lie to me, please.
The footage stops when the camera is removed from Pazos while being transported to the hospital.
When Pazos described his scars, Harlin asked, “And those are the only scars we can see?”
Pazos agreed.
Pazos said he had to get counseling to deal with the trauma of the shooting. His doctor advised him not to return to patrol, so Pazos now works as an investigator for the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office.
After Pazos’ testimony, the state rested.
The court adjourned around lunch and reconvened shortly before 2 p.m
The defense did not call any witnesses and rested. Johnson did not testify.
Once the jury received instructions for deliberation, closing arguments began.
LCSD deputies filled the courtroom.
Lauren Harless delivers closing argument for the impeachment.(Abigail Troth, WDAM 7)
Shortly before 3:15 p.m., the jury began deliberating.
An hour and thirty minutes later, the jury returned with a verdict.
When the verdict finding Johnson guilty on all counts was read, those in the courtroom silently congratulated Pazos.
However, if a person is found guilty of attempted capital murder, a separate hearing must be held to determine whether that person should be sentenced to life imprisonment in a state penitentiary.
Then the trial stage began and the verdict was passed.
Three people spoke after and before the verdict was announced: Lamar County Deputy Steve Pazos, who was shot and wounded; Johnson’s grandmother; and MBI Special Agent Zachary Summers, who testified the day before.
During Summers’ testimony, Harlin presented five new documents containing separate misdemeanor convictions for which Johnson was found guilty before the shooting.
From 2018 to 2022, Johnson was found guilty of two separate incidents of shoplifting, embezzlement, petit larceny and possession of a Schedule 1 controlled substance in an amount of less than one gram.
All incidents occurred in Hattiesburg.
Summers demanded that Johnson be sentenced to life in prison.
The state then called Pazos back to the witness stand and asked how the shooting affected him and his family.
“My family has been through absolute hell,” Pazos replied.
As he mentioned in his earlier testimony, Pazos said he had to seek counseling due to his trauma. He also said he almost had a panic attack even when he got into the vehicle he was driving that night.
Pazos also told the jury how he knew two officers who were killed in the line of duty in Hattiesburg in 2015. He became friends with them.
Pazos even said his wound was inches from where Liquori Tate was shot when he died.
He also told the jury how his two children never left his side during his recovery because they were so afraid for his safety.
“I’m certainly ready to close the chapter in my book on Troy Johnson,” Pazos replied.
Pazos demanded that Johnson be sentenced to life in prison.
The state then rested and the defense called its only witness during the entire trial: Mary Walker.
Mary Walker is Johnson’s grandmother who has been raising his son since his arrest.
Walker described Johnson as a “gentle soul with a loving nature.” She called him a good man who made a mistake.
She also expressed condolences to the victims of Johnson’s crimes.
Walker became emotional during her testimony as she pleaded with the jury to prevent her grandson from serving a life sentence. She stated that she wanted her great-grandson to meet his father and that she didn’t know how long she would be around.
“I feel sorry for the officer, but I know Troy is a good man,” Walker said. “Please, no life sentence.”
Closing statements were made again after the state and defense rested their cases.
The jury left to deliberate at 6:16 p.m. and returned less than thirty minutes later.
The jury found that they could not unanimously set his sentence at life in the state penitentiary, meaning Johnson was not sentenced to life in prison.
Court was adjourned just before 7 p.m., and Johnson was scheduled to be sentenced at an unspecified future date.
You can read more about the previous two trial days here:
Troy Johnson trial
Day one
Trial begins for Troy Johnson, charged with attempted murder after wounding Lamar County deputy
Day two
More testimony, evidence presented by prosecutor in Troy Johnson trial in 15th Judicial District Court
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