Convicted Felon Sentenced to 20 Years for Attempted Murder of Concealed Carry Holder
A seven-time convicted felon who attempted to kill a concealed carry holder in 2022 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Willie Barnes received 17 years for the attempted murder and an additional three years for a gun charge he was on bail for at the time of the shooting.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight on August 22, 2022, when a 45-year-old concealed carry holder was escorting a female friend home after leaving a club. Upon arriving at his own residence on the 5500 block of West Crystal, Barnes, wearing a ski mask, pulled up alongside him in a car and opened fire. The victim returned fire, striking Barnes in the abdomen.
Initially believed to be a carjacking, investigators later discovered that Barnes had a child with the woman the victim escorted home. The victim managed to call 911 while keeping his firearm trained on Barnes, who was injured and crying out for help.
Police responded to ShotSpotter alerts in the area and found Barnes behind a vehicle, attempting to hide a gun and ski mask. He was conscious but critically injured, while the victim emerged unharmed from the exchange.
At the time of the shooting, Barnes was on bail for a Class X armed habitual criminal charge and was on supervised release for a federal drug case, resulting in a 10-year sentence in 2023. With prior convictions for two robberies and a carjacking from 2003, Barnes pleaded guilty to attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Judge Angela Munari-Petrone sentenced Barnes to 17 years for attempted murder and an additional three consecutive years for the gun charge. The Illinois Department of Corrections has not yet determined his parole eligibility.
