PHOENIX — The man convicted of shooting Phoenix Police Officer Tyler Moldovan in 2021 will be asking the courts for a new trial.
ABC15 has obtained a motion for a new trial that Essa Williams' counsel has filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.
A jury convicted Williams on all counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault on August 13.
Williams was accused of shooting Moldovan in December 2021 after officers responded to reports of cars racing and doing donuts near 19th Avenue and Camelback Road in Phoenix.
Additional calls placed officers near 15th Avenue and Camelback Road, where they spotted a black Dodge Charger pull into a parking lot. When officers pulled in, they saw a man, later identified as Williams, then 24, jump the fence into a nearby apartment complex.
Moldovan located Williams hiding on a covered patio. According to prosecutors, Williams was on his cellphone with his girlfriend when Moldovan approached. Prosecutors say their entire interaction lasted 30 seconds.
Officer Moldovan was rushed to a hospital, where it was discovered he had up to eight gunshot wounds, including a gunshot wound to the head. He later recovered and was released from the hospital.
The jury was expected to return next week for an aggravated phase and to possibly discuss sentencing. It's not clear how this motion will impact those proceedings.
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