FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A Fresno man has been sentenced to 28 years to life behind bars for the attempted murder of a Fresno police officer and the assault of a second officer during a 2025 shooting.
On Thursday, 41-year-old Bradley Elmer Nicholson Sr., was sentenced to 14 years to life in state prison, plus an additional consecutive 14-year term.
The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Raj Singh Badhesha of the Fresno County Superior Court.
On Dec. 30, 2025, Nicholson pleaded no contest to attempted murder of a peace officer while personally using a firearm and assault on a peace officer with a semi-automatic firearm, and admitted a prior strike conviction along with an aggravating factor.
The case goes back to Dec. 7, 2025, when a Fresno police officer contacted Nicholson in a parking lot near West Clinton Avenue and North West Avenue during a Post-Release Community Supervision compliance check.
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Investigators say Nicholson pulled out a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun and fired one shot toward the officer’s head.
The bullet hit the top of the officer’s department-issued baseball cap, narrowly missing him.
Nicholson then ran from the scene into a nearby apartment complex.
A second Fresno police officer later spotted him, and investigators say Nicholson was seen behind a pickup truck before turning and pointing the firearm directly at the officer.
Nicholson has prior convictions including burglary, auto theft, narcotics possession, identity theft, and fraud.
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The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney James A. Butkus of the Felony Trial Team.