The trial of a man accused in the 2020 shooting of Chancery Court Judge Charles Smith is underway in Lafayette County, according to court officials.

Smith was shot in the back while getting out of his truck at the Lauderdale County courthouse the morning of March 16, 2020.

In March 2021, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation charged Ernest Edwards, 41, with attempted capital murder in the case.

Edwards’ trial is being held in Lafayette County after a change of venue was granted due to initial media coverage as well as the Lauderdale County courthouse being the actual crime scene, court officials said.

Edwards had been held in the Lauderdale County Detention Center and was not eligible for a bond due to the nature of the crime and other pending charges.

Smith, who returned to the bench after several surgeries related to the shooting, is chancellor of the 12th Chancery Court District, which includes Lauderdale and Clarke counties.

Smith, who took the oath of office in January 2019, served as youth court prosecutor from 1983-2014, and as a Lauderdale County prosecutor for more than three years, according to the State of Mississippi Judiciary.