The man who shot a Philadelphia police officer during a traffic stop last year is now facing upwards of over 40 years behind bars.
Eric Haynes, 46, of Darby, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 22 to 44 years in prison on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, for the attempted murder of Officer Giovanni Maysonet.
Maysonet was surrounded by colleagues and loved ones in the courtroom during the sentencing.
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"I think it all worked out," Maysonet said. "I think I was heard today. Everything was heard today. I'm just glad to be done with it to be honest."
Maysonet has endured six surgeries, nightmares and body aches since the February 2023 shooting and his abdomen had to be reconstructed. He also continues to deal with anxiety more than a year later.
"Last year, it's been a nightmare. It was the hardest year of my life," Maysonet said. "It's something that I wouldn't wish on anybody else. It's something that you never expect. It's something that you should never go through in life."
On Feb. 8, 2023, around 3:40 p.m., Maysonet, a 19th District officer and five-year veteran of the police force at that point, along with his partner, Officer Mychal Couch, 28, were conducting a traffic stop and approached a vehicle along the 200 block of North 60th Street, police said.
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“The car in question here has probably the darkest tinted windows I’ve ever seen,” Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said.
Investigators said Eric Haynes was a passenger inside the car while Ernest Reed, aka Raymond Williams, was the driver. An unidentified woman was inside the car as well, investigators said.
Officer Couch approached the driver's side of the car while Officer Maysonet approached the passenger's side.
Investigators said Haynes then tried to flee the scene and Officer Maysonet tried to detain him, leading to a struggle between the two men.
“It’s in that moment, in that split second, that Officer Maysonet is trying to get the defendant to turn around that shots are fired,” Pescatore said. “You can see all of that on the body worn camera.”
Haynes pulled out a gun and fired at least twice, striking Officer Maysonet in his bulletproof vest in the chest area.
“He actually shot this police officer with the gun in his hooded sweatshirt in the pocket,” Pescatore said. “The gun is never visible and you see a flash. So Officer Maysonet is lucky to be alive.”
Investigators said Officer Couch pulled out his own weapon and fired but didn't strike Haynes, Reed or the woman. The two suspects and the woman then fled the scene as Officer Couch drove his partner to the hospital.
"I think I'm shot twice," Officer Maysonet says in dispatch audio obtained by NBC10. "Tell my family I love them if I don't make it."
He also gave out information about the suspect.
"It was a light-skinned, older male. He has braids," Officer Maysonet says. "He had like an ashy, black hoodie on. Tattoos on his hands. That's all I got."
Pescatore said she was amazed by the way Officer Couch kept his cool as he drove his partner to Penn Presbyterian Hospital.
“Officer Maysonet was calling his family from the car, talking about his children,” Pescatore said while fighting back tears. “So it was quite emotional. But Officer Couch got him to that hospital within minutes. And that’s a testament to him and his training that kicked in."
Maysonet underwent surgery at the hospital. Officials said one of the bullets hit his bulletproof vest, while the other hit him in his stomach and exited through his back.
"There's absolutely relief that we're not reporting on an officer death but it doesn't take away the anger that I feel. The frustration that we all feel," Danielle Outlaw -- who was the Philadelphia police commissioner at the time -- said.
Officer Maysonet's family joined him at Presbyterian Hospital that night while dozens of police officers also waited outside to show their support.
"I think we tend to forget that after the surgeries, after the shootings, there's still trauma there," Outlaw said. "There's still healing. There's still additional surgeries."
Shortly after the shooting, SWAT members surrounded a nearby home on Race and Edgewood streets. The entire area was closed off as police investigated.
"When I left my first job off of Walnut, we saw plenty of cops coming around. Then by the time I got down here, it was all blocked off and it's all on the news," Denayah Pringle, a witness, told NBC10.
A day care was located near the home that was surrounded by SWAT officers. Families scrambled to get their children to safety.
"It's dangerous," Pringle said. "Kids can't even play outside. We can't go to work and school. It's always something. It's just too much."
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Police took at least four people into custody near the home on Race and Edgewood and Haynes was arrested in the rear alley behind the 6800 block of Guyer Avenue later that night.
Of the multiple people who were taken into custody, only Haynes and Reed were charged.
Haynes was charged with two counts each of Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Simple Assault. He was also charged with Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, Tampering with Evidence, Obstructing Justice, Evading Arrest, and Resisting Arrest.
Prior to the arrest, Haynes was wanted out of Delaware County for allegedly resisting arrest in an unrelated incident. He also had a lengthy criminal record that prohibited him from legally owning or purchasing a firearm, investigators said.
Reed was charged with Tampering With Evidence, Obstructing Justice, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. He was on state parole at the time of the shooting. On Thursday, after Haynes sentencing, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office told NBC10 that Reed had died in jail. The spokesperson did not reveal the cause or the specific date he died.
The woman who was in the car with Haynes and Reed was not charged.
“There was a third person in the car who by all indications is innocent of any crime and therefore no charges are being brought against her,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Officials said Haynes and Reed both lived in the area where they were pulled over. They also said they recovered the weapon Haynes used in the shooting as well as a BB gun rifle in the back of the vehicle.
During his trial, Haynes' defense team argued for a lighter sentence with a possibility of parole. They claimed Haynes had a tough upbringing and dealt with mental health issues that went unchecked. They also said he had taken responsibility for his actions after his arrest.
Meanwhile, the state argued Haynes had multiple opportunities to change his ways and referenced his lengthy criminal record.
Before his sentencing on Friday, Haynes looked towards Maysonet and his family and apologized.
Officer Maysonet said he's now focused on completing his physical therapy and is hoping to join his colleagues soon at the Philadelphia Police Department.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
