PHOENIX — Phoenix Police Officer Tyler Moldovan took the stand Wednesday to face the man accused of shooting him 8 times nearly five years ago.
Moldovan used a walker to reach the witness stand as the trial of Essa Williams got underway.
Williams, now 28, is 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.
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During opening statements, prosecutors described what they say body camera video from December 2021 shows — including Williams saying, "What y'all gonna do? You gonna lock me up?" — before, they allege, he pulled his gun and fired 15 rounds at Moldovan.
Prosecutors laid out the final moments before the shooting.
"Officer Moldovan said, 'Do you have any guns?' The defendant said no. Officer Moldovan stepped back. And as he was reaching for his radio with his left hand, the defendant pulled the firearm. And shot at Officer Moldovan 15 times," prosecutors said.
Moldovan choked up on the stand recalling his first memories after the shooting — waking up in a Colorado hospital room.
"My brother, sorry, my brother came to visit me. My brother came to visit me in Denver," Moldovan said.
A court order prevents the release of video of Moldovan's on-stand testimony or his body camera video from the incident.
Moldovan detailed the 8 bullet wounds he sustained during the shooting.
"I have a bullet wound to the right side of my head behind the ear. To the left of my head, behind the ear. I have a bullet wound in my left ear. My right shoulder. My right thumb. My left wrist on the inside. My left wrist, on the outside above the watch. My left upper hip. My left knee. My left upper shin. And my right upper thigh," Moldovan said.
Prosecutors also told the jury Williams had two loaded 9-millimeter firearms, an extended 30-round magazine also loaded, and a box of 50 rounds of ammunition.
Moldovan was rushed to a hospital where doctors found he had up to 8 gunshot wounds, including a wound to the head. He was unresponsive and placed on life support.
The defense argues Williams was acting in self-defense, telling jurors to consider what was going through his mind "as he's being hunted.”
The defense also argued the initial police response was overblown and escalated the situation by disturbing the neighborhood with a police helicopter at 2 in the morning.
"We're talking about the tension. The trauma. The fear. The frightenedness, the being terrified of being chased by an entire squad with an Air Force for burning up rubber in the road,” Williams’ defense attorney Dave Erlichman said.
Defense attorneys also questioned the scale of the police response, asking the jury: "As it goes around and around, circling around and around. Looking for a guy who did some wheelies in the road. Does that make any sense to you at all?”
Race is expected to play a role in the trial. The defense objected several times to what they called racially charged photos shown by prosecutors and moved for a mistrial multiple times, also filing a motion to recuse the judge, alleging bias. Those objections were overruled, the motions for a mistrial were denied, and the recusal motion was denied.
Moldovan's testimony lasted about 20 minutes. The trial is expected to last for weeks.
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