Man Found Guilty Of Attempted Murder For Shooting Off-Duty M-D Cop
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Miami-Dade County jury has found 20-year-old Willie Barney guilty of attempted murder, robbery, and aggravated battery of an off-duty Miami-Dade Police officer during a 2012 robbery.
Barney and two other men, identified as 20-year old Dedrick Brown and 19-year old Travares Santiago, reportedly approached Officer Wislyn Joseph on September 22, 2012 when he was volunteering with his father at a church in Liberty City. Police say the group demanded Joseph's jewelry and then shot him right in the chest.
Prosecutors said Barney was the trigger man. They add that they have a strong case which includes recovery of the handgun used in the crime and DNA evidence.
During the pretrial hearing, Joseph testified to what happened the night he was shot. He said Barney trained a pistol on him as he complied with orders to surrender his Gucci bracelet.
"He felt I was taking too long so he yanked it off," said Joseph. "He reached then and grabbed the gold chain which was on my neck."
Joseph testified that he had his hands raised in surrender.
"My hands were like this," he said, demonstrating. "A motion that I didn't have anything else."
Joseph testified that Barney leveled a .45 caliber pistol at him and fired a round at point-blank range "in center mass," striking him in the chest.
"When I looked, I realized that I was bleeding. I lifted up the shirt and I noticed the blood was just pumping, pumping out. At which time I told my dad, 'apply pressure'."
Barney will be sentenced at a later date.
