Five men will stand trial for murder charges stemming from the killing of Chandler (Ariz.) PD's Detective Carlos Ledesma in a drug-deal-gone-bad gunfight in southern Phoenix a week ago, reports the Arizona Republic.
Doarnell Reuna Jackson, 35, is the suspected master-mind. He faces a standalone first-degree murder charge listed as the first count in the complaint that is considered premeditated murder.
Here's an excerpt:
Ledesma, 34, was part of an operation involving nearly 12 Chandler police officers, including SWAT members. He and other officers, posing as dealers, showed two of the suspects a marijuana sample before arranging for a sale at a home.
The operation where police bait drug suspects with seized evidence is known as a "reversal."
Suspects John Howard Webber, Jerry Wayne Cockhearn Jr., Eldridge Auzzele Gittens and Thandika Taweh Singleton also face felony murder charges.
