Simpson County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Eddie Lawson sits in his truck in 2017 outside his Franklin home.

SCOTTSVILLE – When he went to serve an arrest warrant against Ben Wyatt two years ago, Detective Eddie Lawson of the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday he did not expect the encounter to end with the two exchanging what he called a “continuous volley of gunfire” that left Lawson with a shattered femur and heavy blood loss.

Wyatt, 31, of Franklin, and Lawson were back together in a courtroom for the first day of Wyatt’s trial on charges of attempted murder (police officer) and first-degree assault (police officer).

The charges stem from a March 10, 2016, incident on Cherry Street in Franklin in which Lawson was shot in the hip, leg and foot. Lawson returned fire during the incident, striking Wyatt once in the shoulder.

Lawson was rushed to a hospital in Nashville after he reported being shot and ended up missing more than a year of work.

Multiple law enforcement agencies attempted to locate Wyatt, who was found less than an hour later in a ditch line within the same block of the shooting, according to testimony.

The trial was moved from Simpson County to Allen County by Judge Janet Crocker of the 49th Judicial Circuit.

During questioning from Allen County Commonwealth’s Attorney Clint Willis, Lawson recalled what led up to the shooting, testifying that he had taken a call from a woman, Janet Seibert, who reported that Wyatt was at her house and had a warrant for his arrest.

Seibert’s daughter and Wyatt have a child in common.

Seibert testified that she was advised to contact the Franklin Police Department but called the sheriff’s office several minutes later after getting no response.

Following this second call, Lawson responded, telling jurors Wednesday that there was no mention in any calls about Wyatt being armed.

Another deputy was assigned to back up Lawson, but Lawson arrived alone at the house on 104 Cherry St., where he said he saw Wyatt sitting in a carport.

Lawson recalled addressing Wyatt by name and informing him that he was under arrest, and testified that Wyatt denied his identity, swore at Lawson and replied he was not going to jail.

“He was highly agitated, I knew there was going to be a fight,” Lawson said.

The detective said he reached for his pepper spray to subdue Wyatt, and while doing so, Wyatt pulled out a handgun and fired at Lawson, who said he “instinctively” drew his service weapon and returned fire.

After he was wounded, Lawson retreated to a nearby tree to take cover.

“I squirmed around to the tree the best I could while the fire was still continuing,” Lawson said. “I knew I’d been hit in my right leg because it was basically put out of action.”

The shooting continued, with Lawson firing around the tree before pausing to reload.

Wyatt eventually ran up Cherry Street, Lawson said, and crossed through the yard of a neighbor, Deanna Roberts, who testified that she heard the shots from her porch, ran into her house and saw from her window a man run through her yard and squeeze through a gap in a fence at the other side of the yard.

Roberts testified that after the man left, she found a gun in the yard that had not been there before he arrived and some blood on the fence where the man had exited.

Within a few minutes of Lawson reporting that he was shot, several law enforcement officers converged on the area to care for him and locate the suspect.

Deputy Jada Kessler, who was a paramedic before joining the sheriff’s office, said she arrived with an emergency medical kit and applied pressure to Lawson’s wounds.

“Eddie had lost a lot of blood, he was becoming less responsive and he was growing very, very pale,” Kessler said. “If everyone wasn’t as close as they were, it’s very likely he could have bled out before receiving treatment.”

Chief Deputy Steve Chappell was among the first officers to arrive at the scene, and he said he noticed a large amount of blood on Lawson’s pant leg, though he was unsure at the time of the extent of his injuries.

“He was holding my hand and I told him it’s going to be all right,” Chappell said. “I knew it was serious, and I didn’t know if he was going to make it or not … it was bad, I’ll put it like that.”

Lawson testified that he was conscious for most of the ambulance ride to Nashville, though he was later told he was in a state of shock.

He returned to work in April 2017.

“I won’t be 100 percent ever, but I’m good to go back to work,” Lawson said Wednesday. “It’s just the pain I have to live with the rest of my life.”

Wyatt’s attorney, Pat Roemer of the state Department of Public Advocacy, urged the jury during his opening statement to consider all the evidence before making up their minds about the case, and said that there are multiple explanations for what happened.

Willis, during his opening statement, said the case was “pretty straightforward” and features evidence that includes statements Wyatt made during recorded phone calls while in jail awaiting trial.

“He makes several incriminating statements where he admits he is the shooter … and shows absolutely no remorse about the incident,” Willis said.