Updated: 3 p.m.
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — It took a Montgomery County jury about an hour to return a guilty verdict in the trial of a Philadelphia man accused of firing several shots at a police officer at the King of Prussia Mall last year.
The jury found 28-year-old Andrew Wiley guilty of all charges, including attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated assault of a police officer, reckless endangerment and related offenses.
The incident happened near Seasons 52 restaurant at 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2022, a busy Sunday afternoon during the holiday shopping season.
A video statement Wiley gave from the hospital was played for the jury on Tuesday. He said after he was involved in a fender-bender in the mall parking lot, he parked in a garage, climbed into the back seat, and thought about killing himself.
When his car was spotted by police, he tried to flee the parking lot. He got stuck in traffic and ended up driving his Nissan Juke over a 4-foot retaining wall.
Wiley said he pulled out a gun to kill himself but accidentally shot himself in the leg. As an Upper Merion police officer approached the car, prosecutors said, Wiley fired four times in the direction of the officer. The officer returned fire and hit Wiley in the ankle.
Wiley’s lawyer, Ben Cooper, said his client is guilty of illegal possession of a gun but, he argued, he wasn’t trying to kill or hurt the officer. Instead, he said, Wiley wanted the officer to kill him.
“He felt like ‘This is it for me, so I'm gonna get killed.’ And he wanted to fire that gun around to make people afraid and fire back at him,” Cooper said.
However, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said they believe Wiley came up with that story after he was already in custody. Steele told the jury that Wiley opened his door, saw the officer and fired his gun four times before he was shot in the leg and ankle.
“He tried to flee from police. He was not successful in fleeing. And he started shooting at police in an effort to get away,” Steele said. “And he was caught.”
Wiley will be sentenced at a later date. Steele said Wiley now faces a mandatory prison sentence for aggravated assault of a police officer.
“This defendant will serve at least the next 20 years in jail, maybe more,” he said. “And those are the consequences for trying to shoot at a police officer.”
After the verdict, as he was led from the courtroom, Wiley said, “I’m deeply sorry for everyone that was involved in this.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.