DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A Macon County Judge sentenced Joseph Williams, 24, to 80 years in prison for shooting a Decatur Police Officer.
Williams, who is representing himself, appeared before the court on Thursday afternoon. Macon County Judge Jeffrey S. Geisler sentenced Williams to 80 years for Attempted Murder, 3 counts of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, 3 counts of Felon Possession/Use of a Weapon, and for Obstruction of Justice.
Williams would be 93 years old by the time he had served his sentence.
Regarding the sentence, Decatur Police Chief Shane Brandel, said, "An 80 year sentence in prison. I won't live to see that and maybe he won't live to get out of jail either, so I'm happy with his sentence today."
In May, a jury found Williams guilty on all 8 counts. The Prosecution called numerous law enforcement officers to the stand who detailed various pieces of evidence that linked Williams to the gun that injured Decatur Police Officer Stephanie Vail.
"I'm hoping that sends a message to the community that this kind of conduct will not be tolerated and that if you do anything like this you are literally taking the rest of your life in your own hands because you will get put away forever," said Assistant State's Attorney, Michael Baggett.
Officer Stephanie Vail gives testimony on May 8th.Â
The shooting happened in January 2022. Officer Vail saw Williams commit multiple traffic violations and attempted to pull him over. Her dash camera video captured the moments when Williams got out of his vehicle and ran.
Officer Vail's body camera video showed her cashing after the 24-year-old one. While in pursuit Williams fired one gunshot at her, which hit a tension pole of a fence. That pole fragmented and a fragment hit the officer, causing injuries.
Police then created a perimeter in the area and arrested the suspect. At Williams' request, he was then taken to HSHS St. Mary's Hospital for medical treatment.
When an officer was preparing to complete a gunshot residue kit on Williams, police said he was using a portable toilet in his hospital room. When he was informed officers were preparing to complete the kit on him, Williams reached into the toilet and grabbed a handful of his feces, and covered his hands with it, preventing the kit from being done.
Police said the gun Williams use the morning of January 2022 had a modification allowing it to be fully automatic. Police learned the weapon had malfunctioned after the officer was first shot at. Had the weapon worked properly, police said Williams would have been able to fire all of the rounds in the magazine at the officer, drastically increasing the chance the officer could have been injured.
Williams is already serving time in prison for an unrelated case and will serve Thursday's sentence concurrently.
"This man took everything away from me that I know," said Officer Vail during her victim impact statement. "I lived for working every single day and enjoyed going to work, and I no longer have that."
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Decatur Officers in court to show support for Officer Stephanie Vail.
