On January 2, Jason “Eyeball” Barnum received a 22-year sentence for shooting Daniel Thyen, an Anchorage, Alaska, police officer.
Barnum is nicknamed Eyeball because the white portion of his right eye is tattooed black. Barnum also has various skulls tattooed on his head.
According to Fox News, Officer Thyen was shot while “investigating home burglaries and car thefts” in 2012. He was “inspecting” a hotel room when Barnum reportedly opened fire, injuring him. “Barnum later admitted to committing the thefts and burglaries to feed a heroin addiction.”
Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew spoke at Barnum’s sentencing and voiced his conviction that Barnum “decided a long time ago that his life was about being hostile to people.” He then called attention to Barnum’s tattoos. “I’d like you to take a look at Mr. Barnum. 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 behavior.”
Barnum spoke on his own behalf, saying he was “humbled by what the chief said.” He then shifted the blame somewhat, suggesting his release from prison for a prior offense in 2010 left him with “nowhere to go and nothing to do.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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