Uncle shot niece with AR-15 after fight about driving drunk, Louisiana officials say
A man accused of shooting his niece with an AR-15 rifle during an argument has been found guilty of attempted murder and has been sentenced to prison, Louisiana officials said.
Roseland resident Willie Joe London, 42, was found guilty of felony charges of aggravated criminal damage to property, illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities and attempted second-degree murder, according to a release from the Office of District Attorney Scott Perrilloux.
London was sentenced to 50 years in prison, WVUE and WAFB reported.
London was arrested on Aug. 12 2021, following a dispute with his niece, according to the release.
A caller called 911 and said that London was firing at his niece after the two go into a fight about London attempting to drive after drinking alcohol, the release said.
“Willie London broke the windows to (his niece’s) residence, she armed herself with a bat and broke the windows of his car, and he walked backwards into the house to retrieve an AR-15,” the district attorney’s office said.
When emergency responders arrived they found that the woman had been shot twice and at least nine cartridges littered the ground, according to the release.
She was transported to a local hospital, where she told investigators her uncle had shot her. Deputies with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office searched for London, who reportedly fled from the scene.
Deputies found him in an empty field, and the man refused to tell officials where he put the rifle used during the shooting, according to the release. London told deputies that he had been shooting at a shed, not at his niece, who witnesses said was hiding behind a residence.
A neighboring house that was home to young children was also hit during the incident, although no one else was injured.
London’s niece changed her statement on Sept. 17, 2021, saying she did not know who shot her and that her initial testimony was incorrect since she was on pain medication at the time, according to the attorney’s office.
“Due to the serious nature of Willie London’s crime and in consideration of public safety, Assistant District Attorney Joey Oubre and the office of the Twenty-first Judicial District Attorney Scott M. Perrilloux continued with the prosecution of Willie Joe London,” according to the release. “The jury deliberated for approximately two hours and found him guilty.”
Roseland is about 70 miles northeast of Baton Rouge.
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