Tensions — and middle finger — raised after Day 2 of Alex Jones Sandy Hook defamation trial in Texas

AUSTIN, TEXAS — An argument over old videos in which Alex Jones discusses the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school turned into a heated exchange — and a raised middle finger — between attorneys after court wrapped up the second day of Jones’ trial for defaming the parents of a victim in the shooting.

The incident came after a tense discussion between the judge and the legal teams representing Jones and the parents of a 6-year-old Sandy Hook victim, over whether Jones’ attorneys could play several videos of their client discussing the massacre on his radio show and Infowars website.

That initial discussion occurred in front of Judge Maya Guerra Gamble after she had dismissed the jury for the day. F. Andino Reynal, Jones’ attorney, wanted to introduce new video evidence, something Mark Bankston, attorney for the parents, opposed because he said he wouldn’t have time to review the hours and hours of footage from a period spanning several years.

Gamble ordered both sides to review the videos and determined that they would discuss the evidence again Thursday morning. The attorneys and judge will meet at 9 a.m., and the jury will be called in later, she said.

Reynal became visibly frustrated during the conversation, saying that Bankston and his legal team had already agreed to allow him to introduce the videos into evidence. When another attorney for the family’s legal team complained to the judge that Reynal had been referring to them as “personal injury lawyers” in open court, Reynal said he would stop — before adding that they were “dishonest.”

Gamble scolded Reynal for the remark, saying she would “assume” that it’s been a “rough” day and told him to review the attorney code of conduct.

After the judge left the room, Bankston walked over to talk with Reynal about the exhibits. During the conversation, Reynal got close to Bankston’s face and called him a “liar” several times, before raising his middle finger at Bankston.

Bankston began telling Reynal to back off, before fellow attorney Bill Ogden defused the situation by getting the two sides to have a phone call later after they had calmed down.

Outside the courtroom a few minutes later, Bankston gave Hearst Connecticut Media a brief statement on behalf of his clients, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, both the parents of Jesse Lewis, one of the 26 victims of the shooting.

“My clients are extremely pleased with how the proceedings are going,” Bankston said. “We look forward to continuing a public airing of Mr. Jones’ misdeeds.”

Reynal declined to talk about the earlier commotion as he left the courthouse.

Jones, who appeared briefly to watch the testimony of one of his producers earlier in the day, was not in the courtroom during the exchange. Both Heslin and Lewis were present.

Julia Perkins contributed to this report.