Bullet holes mark scene of officer shooting; daughter says suspect was back on drugs
The man arrested in the Saturday night shooting of a Modesto police officer recently had resumed his methamphetamine use and wanted to die at the hands of the police, according to his daughter.
“When he shoots it with a needle, he becomes a monster,” said Evie Brooks in a Monday phone interview about her father, 42-year-old Modesto resident Jesse Collins James Brooks. “... He wanted to take his own life but he was too much of a coward.
“He knew there was a warrant out for his arrest. He’d told us (Brooks and her brothers) he was so tired of this life, of parole and jail and being a scumbag. ... He’d told us, ‘If they catch me, I’m going to shoot (not to hit anyone but to draw officers’ fire) and want them to shoot me.’ ... In a normal state of mind, he’d never speak like that.”
Modesto Police Chief Brandon Gillespie in a video posted on Facebook on Sunday evening identified the officer shot Saturday night as Michael Rokaitis, a seven-year veteran of the department. The chief said Rokaitis was in surgery several hours Sunday and remained in critical but stable condition.
The Police Department did not have an update by early Monday afternoon on the shooting and Rokaitis’ condition. Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said in a text message the police expected to release a critical incident video of the shooting within the next few weeks.
Rokaitis’ family declined to comment Monday and referred questions to the Police Department.
The jail booking log shows Jesse Brooks faces three counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, with an enhancement for using a firearm. He also faces one charge each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. Bail is set at $4.5 million.
Rokaitis was shot while serving a search warrant late Saturday.
The warrant was served at a home in the 3100 block of East Orangeburg Avenue after the arrest of a man who had led police on a chase that began around 10 p.m. when a traffic officer saw the man driving his motorcycle recklessly in the area near West Orangeburg and Enslen avenues.
The motorcyclist was followed, in part, by a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department air unit, which spotted him going into the home on East Orangeburg east of Lakewood Avenue.
He eventually surrendered to officers and was found to be in possession of drugs for the purpose of sales, according to a Modesto Police Department Facebook post early Sunday morning. The man’s name has not been released.
Police: suspect opened fire
After obtaining the warrant, officers began to search the home, where Brooks allegedly started shooting at them, hitting Rokaitis. Police returned fire and injured Brooks, who was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries and released into police custody.
The home’s living room and a bedroom next to the living room have dozens of bullet holes. The daughter of the homeowner allowed The Bee inside the home. The daughter said Brooks did not live there but was visiting.
“I know a lot of people are thinking he’s a monster, that he should rot in hell,” Evie Brooks said about her father. “I don’t blame people for thinking that. But they don’t know him and his struggles. It’s not an excuse. Me and my family have been praying for that officer and his family and hoping for a full recovery.”
Bear, the Police Department spokeswoman, said the Modesto community also has had the officer and his family in their prayers. “We have received messages on social media that churches have held prayers as well,” she texted. “Additionally, many, many messages of hope are being posted and shared with us.”
Stanislaus County Superior Court records show Brooks was arrested in August 2015 on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also has convictions on two counts of resisting arrest from a February 2015 incident and one count of resisting arrest from an October 2012 incident. He was convicted of burglary in 2009.
And in a petition for a restraining order in 2015, a girlfriend said Brooks had abused her and threatened her and her children. She also described a photo of him holding two guns with the statement “f... the cops.” The girlfriend said the threats against her and her children happened after Brooks left a recovery home. The girlfriend was granted the order.
Just released from prison
Evie Brooks, 25, said her father was released from prison nearly three months ago after being arrested for a parole violation. She said the violation was for leaving a rehab home.
She said her father lived with her for about six weeks when he was released from prison. She said he was drug free and working on getting his life back. She said he had gotten his driver’s license and registered his car and was hoping to get a job in a warehouse.
But she said he relapsed into addiction about a month ago after the death of the grandmother who raised Brooks. Evie Brooks said she told her dad he had to leave if he was using drugs. “He started running the streets,” she said, “and hanging out with bad people.”
Brooks said when he is clean and sober her father is caring and funny and hardworking. She said he is now looking at spending the rest of his life in prison “because of his actions and what he chose to do selfishly.”
She said she hopes her father can get the help he needs.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 3:40 PM.
