Terran Green sentenced to life in prison for shooting Harris County deputy in 2023 traffic stop

A jury on Wednesday sentenced Terran Green to life in prison for the 2023 traffic-stop shooting of Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Anderson. The shooting triggered a massive manhunt that ended with law enforcement demolishing the home where Green had been hiding.

Prosecutors said it was remarkable that Anderson survived his injuries. During closing arguments, prosecutor Katie Warren told jurors that if the deputy had died, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office would have pursued the death penalty against Green.

Green, 36, was convicted last week of aggravated assault of a public servant for shooting Anderson. The jury deliberated for about 45 minutes before deciding on a life sentence.

After the decision was announced, Green smiled toward his mother and another family member as the jury left the courtroom.

Anderson chose not to deliver a victim impact statement following the verdict. He later returned to work in a misdemeanor courtroom, where he serves as a bailiff.

Testimony in the trial began Feb. 24 and concluded Tuesday. The only witness called by the defense was Green’s aunt. Anderson testified that he nearly chose not to pull Green over for speeding during the 2023 incident. He said he might have let Green continue driving if the motorist had slowed down after being clocked on radar.

Anderson said he was planning to meet his twin brother—who is also a deputy—for dinner that evening.

Green did not slow down.

The deputy stopped the vehicle in the 13500 block of Homestead, unaware that the driver, Green, was wanted after missing a court appearance. As Anderson walked to the passenger side of the vehicle to retrieve a driver’s license from the back seat, Green opened fire and shot him multiple times.

Footage from Anderson’s body-worn camera showed the deputy being knocked backward as the bullets struck him—one passing within millimeters of his heart.

The shooting led to a nearly 24-hour manhunt. As authorities closed in on Green’s hideout in northeast Harris County, another deputy and two U.S. Marshals assigned to the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force were shot and wounded.

The standoff ended when authorities used two armored machines known as Rooks to tear apart the rental home where Green was hiding in a second-floor room. Green eventually climbed onto the extended arm of one of the machines and was lowered down to officers waiting below, where he was taken into custody.

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