Henderson man draws 24-year sentence for shooting at Evansville police officer

A judge sentenced a man to serve 24 years in state prison Wednesday following his conviction in June for shooting at an Evansville police officer.

A jury previously found 30-year-old Andrew Barnett guilty of multiple charges, including aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony, resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony, and unlawful possession of a firearm, a Level 4 felony.

The case traces back to May 2020, when a man called police from the 2700 block of Lodge Avenue in Evansville complaining that Barnett was brandishing a pistol and waving it around.

By this point, Barnett was a registered felon, a fact police knew when officers attempted to speak with him.

In body camera footage released by EPD, one of the approaching officers can be heard saying, "I got a report that you have a gun, okay? I just want to make sure you don't have a gun."

According to the footage, Barnett fled after the officers attempted to speak with him.

During the chase, an officer deployed a stun gun twice, hitting Barnett once, the release states. But police said Barnett was still able to un-holster his revolver, turn around and fire one shot at officers before succumbing to the effects of the stun gun.

The case initially garnered attention on social media following the publication of cellphone video depicting the shooting that garnered more than 500 shares and 21,000 views.

In the video, a woman appears to follow the officers as they chase Barnett, but the woman filming mistakenly believed EPD officers fired the shot, while the body camera footage showed officers only used their Tasers and it was in fact Barnett who fired.

"Oh my God, did ya'll shoot him?" a female voice says after the camera turns a corner, revealing Barnett on his back while an officer holds him at gun point.

"You shot him for no reason," the woman says three times.

EPD released both the body camera footage and the cellphone footage in June 2020. At the time, EPD's Special Projects Coordinator Phil Smith said, "There is a vast difference in between what was captured on the body cam versus what was narrated on the citizen's cell phone.

"We see all too often that these narratives cloud the truth."

Barnett was initially charged with attempted murder, but a jury found him guilty of the lesser offense of attempted aggravated battery, in addition to other charges.