G RANITE FALLS, Minn. 鈥� The man accused of shooting a Willmar Police officer and firing at two other officers as on April 10 has pleaded guilty to attempted homicide of a police officer.
William Edward Schindler, 26, of Granite Falls, entered a guilty plea to one count of attempted murder in the first degree of a peace officer during a hearing Monday morning before District Judge Thomas Van Hon.
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Schindler will be sentenced on the charge Friday. He is expected to receive a sentence of 210 months in prison based on an agreement in the case, according to Yellow Medicine County Attorney Mark Gruenes.
Willmar Police Officer Jason Hay was the second of three officers working as part of the CEE-VI Drug Task Force to enter a home owned by Jordan Keith Ross in Granite Falls just after 4 p.m. on April 10. Hay was struck in the left torso by a bullet, treated at the Avera Granite Falls Health Center and released that day.
According to the criminal complaint, Schindler and two other occupants in the home were in the downstairs of the home and saw law officers approaching it on a home surveillance system. The defendant allegedly said something which indicated he did not intend to get arrested that day and ran upstairs.
As the first officer knocked on the front door, it appeared to be pulled open simultaneously from inside. The officer announced 鈥減olice, search warrant鈥� and three agents entered the house and immediately took control of the home owner.
About three seconds after Hay entered in the entryway, the officers began taking gunfire from the upper level of the house, according to the criminal complaint. The other officers were not struck.
Schindler turned himself over the law enforcement officers following an approximate 1陆-hour standoff at the home.
A 40-caliber pistol allegedly used by Schindler was later found hidden inside a hole in the wall of the residence. Investigators located 40-caliber casings on the upper level of the house.
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An investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension determined that Hay and another officer returned fire after entering the house. Schindler was not struck.
Schindler was charged with seven felony charges, including three each for attempted murder and first-degree assault, and one count of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The defendant has prior convictions for offenses including felony drug and possession and fleeing police.
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