the primary charge here should be Attempted Murder, first degree. Doesn't really matter if it was a cop he was shooting at or not, except that since the cops were on duty i'm sure a few more charges in that regard can and will be filed. shouldn't really matter how his Lawyer tries to spin doctor it.
Originally Posted by The_Waco_Kid
Actually in Missouri the appropriate charge ought to be First Degree Assault, which is punished as a Class A Felony and can carry a life sentence. From a prosecutorial point of view there is no reason to charge "attempted murder," since it requires the State to prove an "intent to kill" which merely increases the burden on the State without any additional punishment/time.
It sounds better in the media, but over indicting/charging can get blow black from a jury when the State/Government fails to meet their burden of "intent to kill."
Either one in Missouri will be a Class A Felony, so the punishment range is the same, and the judge can assess a life sentence ... especially for two deadly weapon assaults ... on police officers who are considered in Missouri (as most Model Penal Code states) as a "special class" of victim. In Texas police officers are lumped in with "public servants" as a "special class" of victims, and aggravated assault on a peace officer (public servant) is a 1st degree felony in Texas as well.