(Memphis) A mother of a man shot by police says she hasn’t been able to see her son since the incident.
Joe Willis is in The MED recovering from surgery and in police custody.
Willis has been charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Burglary, Evading Arrest, and Theft of Property Under $500.
A Memphis police officer shot him Saturday after police say Willis pointed a shotgun at officers.
When Willis did not drop the weapon, police say they shot him once.
Willis took off on foot but was later captured.
Willis’ mother says she has never known him to be that kind of man.
Bertina Anderson admits her son has been in plenty of trouble but says he doesn’t ever act like a criminal around his family.
“If you talk to him, you wouldn’t believe he fits that description,” said Anderson.
Bertina says her son isn’t the type of guy to point a gun at police, but then again, she says he is different around his mom, “He is never going to tell me the truth. When I find out, I find out from somebody else.”
She just found out he’s in trouble again.
The 29-year-old is in the hospital after being shot by police who say Willis was burglarizing an apartment in Hickory Hill and when caught, aimed his shot gun at officers.
After an officer shot him, police say he ran away and called his mom from a stranger’s cell phone, “He said ‘where are you mom?’ I said I was in Mississippi and that was it.”
Bertina was at a family reunion, where Willis was supposed to be, and when Willis realized she couldn’t help him, she says, he hung-up the phone with her and somehow got himself to a hospital.
Bertina says she had no idea at the time that he had been shot, until she got phone call from a friend later letting her know, “I have been to the hospital, been to 201 Poplar. No information.”
She says police still won’t let her see her son or tell her what he did.
Her son has been convicted of theft and assault before.
Bertina says he also spent 8 years in prison after being found guilty of robbery at the age of 17.
If convicted of this crime, Willis may spend many more years locked-up and have lasting consequences from being shot, “I just hope he`s alright and if he was involved in something like that, I worked in the prison system before, and you have to just pay the price.”
Willis’ bond has been set at $100,000 but he hasn’t even been transferred to jail yet. He’s still recovering from surgery.
