Web Desk
Juqaim Barthen, a former deputy constable with Harris County Precinct 4, broke down in tears as his emergency call was played in court during the trial of Eddie Miller.
The trial took place at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center in Houston on April 2, 2025. Miller is accused of killing Deputy Constable Kareem Atkins.
Barthen, one of two deputies seriously injured in the 2021 shooting, was overcome with emotion upon hearing the recording.
This was the first time Barthen had heard his own frantic 911 call from the night of the incident.
During the call, he struggled to find the right channel on his law enforcement radio after being shot in the leg and was forced to use his cellphone.
The dispatcher initially did not realize he was a police officer. Overcome with emotion, Barthen had to be escorted from the courtroom after apologizing to the court.
The shooting occurred on October 16, 2021, at 45 Norte Sports Bar on North Freeway, where three uniformed deputies were working extra shifts.
Authorities say an underage patron opened fire while the deputies were breaking up a fight.
Eddie Miller, now 22, is facing trial on charges of capital murder of a peace officer, more than three years after the incident.
Miller has been held without bail since 2022. His defense attorneys previously argued that prosecutors had failed to definitively identify him as the shooter.
During his testimony, Barthen admitted he did not see the shooter’s face, as it was covered by a ski mask.
Initially, he mistook the armed man for security personnel and ignored him.
Barthen recounted that the shooter raised his weapon and fired after he identified himself as law enforcement.
He was hit and took cover behind a vehicle as more rounds struck another deputy, Darryl Garrett, and Atkins, who was fatally wounded.
“I thought he was going to kill me,” Barthen testified.
Defense attorneys Joe Wells and Winifred Pastorini chose to delay their opening statements until later in the trial.
Prosecutors noted that Garrett, who was not originally scheduled to work that night, was left paralyzed by the shooting.
The capital murder trial is one of three high-profile cases occurring simultaneously in Harris County’s criminal courthouse.
Other trials include an intoxication manslaughter case involving a Precinct 7 deputy and a capital murder trial for a triple homicide where the death penalty is being sought.
These cases stem from violent crimes that spiked during the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, though crime rates have since declined.
In the days leading up to Miller’s trial, his defense attorney raised concerns over restricted access to court documents, preventing jurors from researching the case.
The restrictions also blocked the media from reviewing over a hundred documents, including defense motions to suppress statements and limit the presence of uniformed law enforcement in the courtroom.
Harris County officials stated that some files were sealed due to sensitive information.
The trial continues as prosecutors present evidence and testimony in pursuit of justice for the slain deputy.
