Man who shot Denton police officer in head, leg sentenced to life plus 35 years
The man who shot a Denton police officer in the head and leg in 2019 has been sentenced to life in prison plus 35 years, according to court records.
Antwon Pinkston shot Officer Urbano Rodriguez Jr. in October 2019 during a traffic stop.
A jury convicted him of two counts of assault on a peace officer on March 31, according to KXAS-TV.
Police said in 2019 that Rodriguez was expected to recover after he underwent surgery, but that the road to recovery would be a long one.
Rodriguez was shot in the moments after Officer Randy Cole, a rookie, arrived to back him up, police have said. Cole returned fire at the man and a woman passenger inside the vehicle Rodriguez had stopped for a defective equipment violation and expired registration.
Carrollton and Farmers Branch officers eventually tracked the pair down at a gas station at Luna Road and Valley View Lane in Carrollton.
Pinkston, the shooter, was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer. The passenger was arrested on a parole violation.
The jury convicted Pinkston on charges of assaulting Rodriguez and endangering the other officer.
This story contains information from the Star-Telegram archives.