On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, The Oklahoman reported that Oklahoma Judge Brian Lovell was indicted on charges related to a drive-by shooting that occurred in Austin, Texas last year.
According to the article, Judge Lovell, an associate district judge in Garfield County, was indicted by a Travis County grand jury on eight felony counts of deadly conduct. The indictment alleges that in September 2023, Lovell recklessly fired shots from an SUV at eight parked vehicles as he drove down a street in Austin.
Police were alerted to reports of gunshots being fired at vehicles around 4:09 PM. Lovell was later arrested after causing two traffic collisions at around 5:30 PM about 1.7 miles from where the shooting took place. He received a misdemeanor charge for reckless driving regarding the collisions.
When questioned by police, Lovell stated that he did not know why he would have shot his gun and could not recall the shooting incident. However, he did admit to rear-ending other vehicles after being cut off but claimed the collisions were not intentional.
The indictment provided further details, identifying the eight targeted vehicles as a Hyundai, Toyota, Chevrolet, Jeep, Subaru, Nissan, and GMC manufactured between 2010 and 2023. Ballistic evidence also allegedly linked shell casings found at the scene in Austin to a prior drive-by shooting that occurred in February 2023 at Lovell’s brother-in-law’s ranch in Bison, Oklahoma, where Lovell lives just over seven miles away.
Judge Lovell could face additional charges related to the Oklahoma shooting once evidence is presented to a multicounty grand jury. His attorney maintains Lovell was not involved. He may also be subject to disciplinary action from the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary regarding the charges.
Source: The Oklahoman
