Convicted Felon Sentenced to 20 Years for Attempted Murder of Concealed Carry Holder
Willie Barnes, a seven-time convicted felon, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to murder a concealed carry holder in 2022. The sentence includes 17 years for attempted murder and an additional three years for a gun charge that Barnes 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. As he parked in the 5500 block of West Crystal, Barnes, wearing a ski mask, approached in a car and opened fire on the victim. In self-defense, the victim returned fire, striking Barnes in the abdomen.
Initially suspected to be a carjacking, investigators later discovered that Barnes had a child with the woman the victim was escorting home. The victim called 911 while keeping Barnes at gunpoint until police arrived. Barnes was found critically injured behind a vehicle, attempting to hide a gun and ski mask.
At the time of the shooting, Barnes was on bail for a Class X armed habitual criminal charge and on supervised release for a federal drug case. With prior felony convictions for robberies and carjacking, Barnes received a 10-year sentence in 2023 for the federal drug case.
Judge Angela Munari-Petrone sentenced Barnes to 17 years for attempted murder and three consecutive years for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Barnes pleaded guilty to both charges, and his anticipated parole date has not been released by the Illinois Department of Corrections.
