PHOENIX — An Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper shot on the job five years ago faced the man accused of pulling the trigger Thursday afternoon. Trooper James Casey testified Thursday in the trial of Ramon Bueno in Superior Court.
Casey took the jury back to the early October morning in 2014 when he was shot.
The trooper testified around 3 a.m. he pulled over a suspicious-looking car near I-17 and McDowell Road -- prepared to give the driver a warning or citation for heavily tinted windows.
There were five people in the car, three women and two men. In an attempt to identify the passengers and check for warrants, he asked everyone to write down their names and birthday on a piece of paper.
According to his testimony, a few of the names didn't check out and he asked the two men for their social security numbers. The man sitting behind the driver started to say some numbers and as the trooper leaned in that's when he said he heard an explosion.
Casey said the next thing he remembers is another trooper standing over him.
"He had a look of terror on his face," Casey said.
The trooper suffered a gunshot wound to the face. He described thinking about his family as he fought to stay alive.
“It really started dawning on me that I was dying. I just didn’t think I was going to make it,” Casey said.
Bueno's defense pushed Casey on how he was able to identify Bueno as the shooter.
Casey said he didn't see the gun, just heard the shot, but he said he was 100% sure Bueno pulled the trigger.
Days ago, Trooper Casey took to Twitter sharing his emotions ahead of the hearing.
"I've waited five years for this day to get here. To say nerves are beginning to set in is a huge understatement," Casey wrote. "Wish me the best. We'll chat after the trial."
Trooper Casey went through 17 surgeries and medical procedures after the shooting. He told the jury his nose and parts of face had to be totally reconstructed.
"The bullet hit my bone and shattered," Casey said.
He recovered, rejoined the force and then retired last year, but will live the rest of his life with bullet fragments in his head.
Bueno is charged with 12 counts, including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and drive-by shooting in connection with the shooting of a DPS trooper.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday.