FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — 41-year-old Bradley Nicholson was sentenced to 28 years to life behind bars on Thursday afternoon inside a Fresno County Courtroom.<\/p>\n
“Probation is denied, and as to count 1, the defendant is committed to the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,” said a Fresno County Judge.<\/p>\n
It was a stipulated agreement where Nicholson pleaded no contest.<\/p>\n
His charges are attempted murder of a police officer and assault on a peace officer after firing his weapon at two Fresno Police officers on December 7, 2025.<\/p>\n
Officers say they approached Nicholson in an alley near West and Clinton Avenues because he was acting suspicious.<\/p>\n
That interaction escalated quickly and was captured on body camera footage released in February of this year.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Newly released video shows shootout involving Fresno police, bullet hit officer’s hat<\/a><\/p>\n In the video<\/a>, you hear Nicholson say “let me go” multiple times to officers during a struggle before firing his gun at police.<\/p>\n The officers fired back before Nicholson barricaded himself in a nearby carport and eventually surrendered after suffering a bullet graze wound to his cheek.<\/p>\n The officers were not hurt, but one of the bullets went through the top of an officer’s ball cap.<\/p>\n “This is obviously a very serious case. The officers were just going about their work and doing their job like any other person trying to complete their job. That day, the Officer literally came within inches of losing his life,” said Prosecutor James Butkus.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Elisa Navarro on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n