AMITE, La. (WGNO) — A Roseland man was found guilty by a jury of his peers in the case of a shooting that nearly killed his niece.
On Aug. 5, 2021, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from someone reportedly witnessing 42-year-old Willie Joe London firing shots at his niece Roneca London and that she was seeking shelter behind a nearby house.
Investigation revealed an argument between the two about London attempting to drive while intoxicated, which was the cause of the incident. Court documents report London had broken the windows in his niece’s home and that she retrieved a bat and broke the windows in his vehicle.
That’s when London went inside the home retrieve an AR-15 and fired shots hitting the woman twice. She was taken to the hospital by EMS.
Deputies interviewed a number of witnesses, found several spent cartridges near the home, and discovered multiple bullets hit the wall of a neighboring home that had children inside.
On Aug. 12, 2021, London reportedly left the scene but was later found in an open field unarmed. He was arrested but refused to tell deputies where the gun was.
His niece told deputies in the hospital she believed her uncle was going to kill her.
London was later prosecuted and while in court he confessed to shooting the gun but not at his niece. He claimed he was shooting at a shed on the property.
He was found guilty on charges and convicted on charges of Aggravated Criminal Damage To Property, Illegal Use Of Weapons or Dangerous Instrumentalities, and Attempted Second-Degree Murder.
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