Man who shot Tarrant Co. deputy sentenced to 95 years in prison

FORT WORTH, Texas - It took a jury around eight hours to decide how long the man who shot an off-duty Tarrant County deputy will spend behind bars.

Leland Williams was sentenced Friday to 95 years in prison after he previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault against a peace officer. Williams shot and seriously injured an off-duty deputy inside a Fort Worth credit union in 2023. 

Deputy Brent Brown was working as security at the credit union when he was shot. Brown has since recovered and returned to active duty with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.

Deputy speaks in court

What they're saying:

Deputy Brent Brown, following two major surgeries, is now back at work full-time. During allocution, he did not address Williams directly, but with emotion thanked the jury.

"Thank you for listening to my story. Thank you for considering the evidence with an open mind, and thank you for treating this with the seriousness and respect it deserves," Brown said in court.

Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn called the sentence a "long-overdue measure of justice."

"Deputy Brown’s courage in the face of an unprovoked and cowardly attack reflects the very best of our profession," Waybourn said. "I am proud of him, grateful for the relentless work of our prosecutors, and firmly believe that this sentence ensures a dangerous individual will never again have the opportunity to harm the people of Tarrant County."

The other side:

Williams had faced anywhere from five to 99 years in prison or a life sentence. His lead defense attorney, Erik Nickols, spoke to us after the jury’s decision.

"Disappointed, because we firmly believe that someone is more than the sum total of the worst 15 minutes of their life. But we understand it," Nickols said.

"There were a lot of innocent people in that credit union the day that Deputy Brown was shot, and it affected them as well as Deputy Brown. I think the jury’s message is, when you choose violence in this country, you will be stopped, and you will be held accountable," said prosecutor Dale Smith.

Tarrant County deputy shooting

The backstory:

It was November 2023 at the Fort Worth Community Credit Union on Brentwood Stair Road. Williams appeared on the bank’s surveillance video, apparently agitated, and at one point he walked out, then returned. 

He was seen pacing, and ultimately approaching Brown, who he had spoken to briefly moments before he opened fire.

Williams testified on Wednesday that he was under the influence of Xanax and alcohol that day in November 2023, when he shot Brown twice.

Surveillance video showed Williams opening fire in the lobby and Brown shooting back.

Williams was taken into custody in a nearby neighborhood after a brief standoff.