NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The 29-year-old man who shot at an Upper Merion police officer in the King of Prussia Mall parking lot a week before Christmas in 2022 will spend at least 25 years behind bars.
At a hearing on Friday, Andrew Wiley was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison for firing four shots at Upper Merion Police Cpl. Scott Samuels in the KOP Mall parking lot on Dec. 18, 2022.
Wiley had tried to run from police after a minor car crash. As Samuels approached his car, Wiley fired four shots. Samuels wasn’t hit, but he returned fire and shot Wiley in the leg.
Wiley was convicted in November 2023 of attempted murder and aggravated assault of a police officer, which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 to 40 years. He was given an additional five to 10 years for endangering others in the parking lot and for weapons violations.
Wiley apologized to Samuels and his family in court, saying, “It’s a blessing no one was hurt except for me.” Wiley’s mother also apologized on his behalf, saying it was not her son’s intention to hurt anyone, but “everything just spiraled out of control.”
Samuels’ wife, Stephanie, told Wiley, “How dare you do this to my family, to my children. I can only believe that you are a coward.”
Ben Cooper, the defendant’s lawyer, said Wiley has taken responsibility for the crime and accepted the punishment. Judge William Carpenter noted that the criminal justice system needs to “protect the protectors.”
“Somebody that is involved in something minor that explodes to this fashion, where he’s then willing to shoot at a police officer, that says a lot about who we’re dealing with and why that community needs to be protected from someone like this,” added Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.
“I believe that a sentence like the one that was rendered here today sends a very strong message that if you do this kind of thing, if you shoot at a police officer, you are going to go to jail for a long, long period of time.”