News

Man makes initial court appearance after allegedly shooting East Palo Alto officer

Willie Wiley Jr. faces seven felony charges

A 44-year-old man made his initial appearance in court Tuesday to face seven felony charges, including attempted murder, for allegedly shooting an East Palo Alto officer in the foot during a traffic stop last week, San Mateo County prosecutors said.

The East Palo Alto Police Department logo, serving East Palo Alto, California. Courtesy East Palo Alto Police via Bay City News.

Willie Wiley Jr., an East Palo Alto resident, is accused of the shooting last Thursday after an officer pulled over a 2006 Dodge Charger in the area of Fordham Street and Purdue Avenue around 11 p.m. for not having a front license plate, according to the county District Attorney's Office.

Wiley got out of the car and allegedly reached for his waistband, then took off running. Officers caught up to him and during a struggle while he was facedown, he allegedly fired a shot that struck an officer in the foot, prosecutors said.

Officers were able to eventually take Wiley into custody and recovered the weapon, an unserialized "ghost gun" that had been converted from semi-automatic to fully automatic. Police also found 20 individually wrapped baggies of cocaine, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The injuries to the officer, a five-year veteran of the East Palo Alto Police Department, are not considered life-threatening.

Help sustain the local news you depend on.

Your contribution matters. Become a member today.

Join

Wiley did not enter a plea during his initial arraignment Tuesday and is set to return to court on Friday. He remains in custody on a status of no bail.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Stay informed

Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox.

Follow Palo Alto Online and the Palo Alto Weekly on Twitter @paloaltoweekly, Facebook and on Instagram @paloaltoonline for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more.

Get uninterrupted access to important local crime news. Become a member today.

Man makes initial court appearance after allegedly shooting East Palo Alto officer

Willie Wiley Jr. faces seven felony charges

by Bay City News Service /

Uploaded: Wed, Jan 18, 2023, 12:17 pm
Updated: Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 8:47 am

A 44-year-old man made his initial appearance in court Tuesday to face seven felony charges, including attempted murder, for allegedly shooting an East Palo Alto officer in the foot during a traffic stop last week, San Mateo County prosecutors said.

Willie Wiley Jr., an East Palo Alto resident, is accused of the shooting last Thursday after an officer pulled over a 2006 Dodge Charger in the area of Fordham Street and Purdue Avenue around 11 p.m. for not having a front license plate, according to the county District Attorney's Office.

Wiley got out of the car and allegedly reached for his waistband, then took off running. Officers caught up to him and during a struggle while he was facedown, he allegedly fired a shot that struck an officer in the foot, prosecutors said.

Officers were able to eventually take Wiley into custody and recovered the weapon, an unserialized "ghost gun" that had been converted from semi-automatic to fully automatic. Police also found 20 individually wrapped baggies of cocaine, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The injuries to the officer, a five-year veteran of the East Palo Alto Police Department, are not considered life-threatening.

Wiley did not enter a plea during his initial arraignment Tuesday and is set to return to court on Friday. He remains in custody on a status of no bail.

Comments

There are no comments yet. Please share yours below.

Post a comment

In order to encourage respectful and thoughtful discussion, commenting on stories is available to those who are registered users. If you are already a registered user and the commenting form is not below, you need to log in. If you are not registered, you can do so here.

Please make sure your comments are truthful, on-topic and do not disrespect another poster. Don't be snarky or belittling. All postings are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate by our staff.

See our announcement about requiring registration for commenting.