HOUSTON – A 17-year-old accused in a deadly shooting on a METRO bus made his first appearance in court Monday morning. A judge ordered Brayden Smith to be held without bond.
Brayden Smith is charged with murder, and things got tense in court almost immediately.
As prosecutors were reading through the probable cause, Judge Brian Warren stopped everything telling Smith to stop rolling his eyes.
“I’m going to tell you right now, rolling your eyes—this is going to end. This stops, okay? This is a serious process, so stop rolling your eyes at the state,” Judge Warren said.
Smith is one of two suspects accused in the METRO bus shooting that happened last Wednesday near Walnut Bend and Richmond. Prosecutors say Smith shot and killed 25-year-old Caitlin Stup, an innocent passenger during an exchange of gunfire on the bus.
READ MORE: 2 suspects in custody after deadly shooting on METRO bus that left woman dead, teen injured
According to the state, surveillance video shows Smith getting on the bus, walking toward Patrick Scott, and opening fire.
Scott is also charged with unlawful carrying of a handgun. Prosecutors say Stup was seated between the two men when shots were fired. She was struck in the head and died at the scene.
Smith’s defense attorney says he has reviewed the surveillance video but argues it’s still unclear who fired first. He says he’s waiting on forensic and ballistic evidence, along with additional video.
“What I can tell you is you can clearly see Mr. Scott holding a gun, pointing it in the direction of Mr. Smith. And when you look at the angles including where another bystander was hit it appears that at least one of those bullets may have come from Mr. Scott. But we won’t know for sure until the ballistics come back,” Brett Podolsky said.
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The defense attorney also told the court Smith attended Elsik High School, was raised by his step-grandparents, and worked at a Jack in the Box.
Prosecutors also told the judge that Smith was on juvenile probation for attempted aggravated robbery at the time of the shooting.
Smith could be back in court as soon as Thursday for a bond hearing.
As for the second suspect, Patrick Scott his case is still moving through the court system.
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