The Hays County Criminal District Attorney on April 24 concluded the sentencing phase of the trial of Jeffery Alan Scott, Jr., who was convicted of Attempted Capital Murder and Aggravated Assault of a Public Servant on April 19.
According to the DA’s Office, Scott was on the run from a murder warrant from Dallas County, Texas. On July 15, 2020, the U.S. Marshals’ Office tracked him to a 7-Eleven gas station in San Marcos. While he was there, Trooper Juarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety – Highway Patrol Division approached him and asked for his identification. Scott then pulled a gun, pointed it at the trooper and fired multiple shots. Juarez fired back and Scott received a bullet graze wound to the head. Trooper Juarez was uninjured in the exchange. Police reports indicate that several civilians were in the gas station parking lot at the time.
Task Force officers working with the U.S. Marshals arrived on scene within seconds and quickly escorted the civilians to safety away from the shooting. All of this was caught on the trooper’s bodycam and dashcam video as well as the 7-Eleven surveillance footage. In an interview with the Texas Rangers after the incident, Scott admitted to shooting at Trooper Juarez.
Following Scott’s April 19 conviction by a jury, the State then presented punishment evidence to the jury, including evidence on the Dallas murder case, and rested their punishment case-in-chief on Monday, April 24. Scott informed the State he would accept a life sentence on both counts. Hays County 274th Judicial District Judge Gary Steel accepted the plea and Scott was sentenced to life in prison on Attempted Capital Murder and Aggravated Assault of a Public Servant on April 24, 2023.
“We are very proud of the work of our prosecutors, Miranda Ebersole and Allison Buess, in this case,” said Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins. “We are also grateful for the diligent work of the multiple agencies involved with the investigation and prosecution of this case: the Texas Rangers, U.S. Marshals, Office of the Attorney General, San Marcos Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety – Highway Patrol Division, and the Dallas Police Department,” he said.
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