Deputy tells court he was ‘murdered’

The man who shot a Madison County Sheriff’s deputy in 2019 leaving him maimed and dependent on his children to help him bathe pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted murder last week, but Brad Sullivan, the deputy, told the court he was “murdered.”

“He murdered Deputy Brad Sullivan,” Sullivan told a courtroom packed with law enforcement officers on Thursday in Canton.

Edgar James Egbert of Canton pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted murder in the September 2019 shooting of Sullivan and another deputy who was treated and released.

Egbert entered the guilty pleas in a trial that began at 10 a.m. Thursday in Madison County Circuit Court in front of Judge John Emfinger.

Sullivan has been wheelchair bound and lost vision in his right eye since Egbert shot him on Sept. 5, 2019, as he fled deputies.

Sullivan, reading from a typed statement, went on to say that life as he knew it ended that day. 

Though he is making strides in his recovery, Sullivan, a single parent, said his injuries have had cascading effects on his family, particularly his children.

Sullivan said his 17-year-old daughter has to help him in the bathroom, bathing and getting into bed. “No child should have to do that,” Sullivan told the court.

Sullivan said he cannot play in the yard with his young son because of Egbert.

Sullivan told the court he felt a “hard blow to the head” and said he could feel what felt like electricity going through his body. He soon realized he could barely move but could hear shouting and gunshots around him. 

In his statement to the court, he recounted feeling the warmth of his own blood and asking a fellow deputy if anyone else was injured.

Emfinger handed down a sentence of 210 years or 35 years per count for Egbert to be served consecutively. 

Emfinger from the bench said the events of that day “cannot be undone” and that “no penalty is sufficient” for the crimes Egbert committed.

The charges stem from the Sept. 5, 2019, incident that began in northwestern Madison County and ended in Canton after a pursuit.

Egbert was accused of abducting a man and tying him up inside Egbert’s home in northwestern Madison County. An ensuing chase led to the gunfire seriously injuring Sullivan.

Sullivan told the court he was not in the area when that call went out but decided to respond because he was a hostage negotiator “not knowing it would be my last call.”

Sullivan addressed the court recounting the events of the day and the struggles of his recovery. 

He said Egbert had taken “the coward's way out” in dealing with issues in his life and that his own life will never be the same. He said that he did not think Egbert could be given a strong enough sentence.

Addressing the court as well, Sheriff Randy Tucker said he wished Egbert could receive the death penalty and asked the judge to consider the strongest sentence on each count. 

Egbert “preyed on innocent lives” that day and he said the Sheriff’s Office “foiled his plan.”

Egbert killed one of his deputies, he said, “a man of Christ” and had been “recreated” by his experience, saying that God had a “further purpose” for him.

Egbert was also allowed to address the court. “I don’t expect forgiveness,” Egbert said, and he apologized for his actions and said his only intention was to die that day.

“Instead of death,” Egbert said. “I have lost everything I had.”

He said that it was God’s will that he survived and said he prayed that God would “bless and heal Brad.”

After the trial, District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said they were happy with the sentence. 

Bramlett said the sentence on the six counts was enough for them to know that Egbert would never live another day outside of a prison cell.

Egbert originally faced eight charges. Bramlett said they had decided not to pursue a kidnapping charge and a felony fleeing charge any further. 

He said they received Egbert’s competency report on Monday and knew he would be ruled competent to stand trial. 

“At this time things started happening real quick,” Bramlett said.

Assistant District Attorney Ashley Allen said during the trial that she is thankful that she was not prosecuting six counts of murder and that Egbert’s actions on that September day were “calculated.” 

She said what he did was an “attempted execution of an entire shift of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office” citing Egbert’s wife’s testimony that he said that day that he intended to kill every cop that approached their house.

She said that he “got his grace” in that he was not facing the death penalty and that the only other grace that would be extended his way was the dismissal of the kidnapping and fleeing charge.

Bramlett said the defense noted that Egbert would plead guilty to the attempted murder charges. 

Bramlett said they did not pursue the kidnapping charge any further because the victim had died of unrelated causes and had no immediate family. 

He said the felony fleeing charge was not pursued because it would not have had a significant impact on the sentencing.

Bramlett said the case had been an “all hands on deck” prosecution for his office.

Allen also spoke after the trial, as well as Tucker and Sullivan.

Tucker said he shared a hug with Sullivan after the trial that was “a little bit tighter and had a little bit more love.” He said the trial brought “another level of healing” for Sullivan, his department and many others.

“He’s endured more than any of us could ever imagine and I’m glad to have him here,” Tucker said. “God’s got a reason for him to still be here. We are going to stay with him, and he is going to stay with us.”

After court Sullivan told reporters he looked forward to continuing his rehab and recovery and hoped to be able to do more with his children.

“It has been a long road and we still have a long way to go,” he said. “I’m hoping one day I might be able to get around and walk a little more and maybe be able to do some more stuff with my kids.” 

Sullivan motioned to the large group of law enforcement standing outside saying it was a “tight-knit family.” Many law enforcement groups were represented including the FBI and MBI, Ridgeland and Madison police departments, Wildlife, Fishery and Parks officials and other groups.

Sullivan was wounded at approximately 7:15 a.m. Sept. 5, 2019, after Egbert crashed his vehicle into a ditch in a chase that ended near the Canton Country Club on Mississippi 16 east. Egbert then exited the vehicle and started shooting. 

Other law enforcement officers involved in the pursuit returned fire, hitting the suspect before taking him into custody. Tucker said that close to 100 rounds were fired off that day.

Sullivan said he remembers being instructed not to fall asleep until he arrived at UMMC where he slipped into a six-week coma.