TORONTO – A man nicknamed “Eyeball” because of a tattoo on his right eye was sentenced to 22 years in prison for shooting an Anchorage police officer.
Jason Barnum, 39, was sentenced on Friday in the 2012 shooting.
According to NBC News, two police officers were investigating a series of burglaries at the Merrill Field Inn in Anchorage when they found Barnum hiding in a washroom. He opened fire, wounding one of the officers.
Barnum was also shot during the exchange of gunfire.
In court, Anchorage Police Department Chief Mark Mew took the stand to argue for a harsh sentence.
“Jason Barnum was a one-man crime spree. While he may have had a little help along the way, he’s responsible for the worst of this saga,” Mew said.
Tattoos of skulls cover Barnum’s head, which didn’t go unnoticed in court.
“I’d like you to take a look at Mr. Barnum,” Mew said. “He has the right to do this to himself and to express himself. We can’t sentence him for that, but I think we can consider a guy’s attitude and his behaviour.”
While on the stand, Barnum said he acknowledged what he did was wrong and put some of the blame for his actions on Alaska Department of Corrections.
“Everybody knows that I’m not the nicest guy. I understand that what I did was wrong. I can’t take none of it back,” Barnum said. “I was living on the streets, and I tried to get a job, but of course my beautiful face didn’t allow me to do that.”
–with files from The Associated Press
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