Minnesota Man Sentenced For Shooting Willmar Police Officer
Granite Falls, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota man who opened fire on law enforcement officers back in April was sentenced Friday to 17 1/2 years in prison.
26-year-old William Schindler of Granite Falls entered a guilty plea to first-degree attempted murder of a peace officer last month as part of a plea agreement. In exchange, two other counts of the same crime and four counts of first-degree assault involving a peace officer, and a charge of illegal possession of a firearm were dismissed.
Schindler was arrested on April 10 following an hour-long standoff with authorities in Granite Falls. The standoff occurred after three members of a multi-agency law enforcement team went to a home to execute a search warrant and were fired on by Schindler almost as soon as they entered the house.
One of the bullets fired by Schindler struck Willmar Police Officer Jason Hay in the lower torso. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Granite Falls, where he was treated for the gunshot wound and released.
The criminal complaint noted that, before he surrendered, Schindler spoke to a law enforcement official on the phone and asked if anyone had been hit by the bullets he had fired. He also stated that he never meant to shoot anyone.
The sentencing order handed down Friday by a judge in Yellow Medicine County gives Schindler credit for the 88 days he has already spent in jail.
More From 96.7 The River
