GREENWOOD, Ind. — After a weeklong trial, a jury has found a 23-year-old Greenwood man guilty of shooting his girlfriend in the face after she refused to give him her stimulus money in order for him to purchase more guns.
On March 7, after three hours of jury deliberation, Darius Birk listened to the jury announce their decision: guilty on all counts of attempted murder, aggravated battery, pointing a firearm and carrying a handgun without a license.
Birk faces up to 40 years on his count of attempted murder alone. A sentencing hearing is set for April 22.
According to court documents, the charges stemmed from a shooting that occurred on March 13, 2021, in the 600 block of Park Drive in Greenwood where witnesses claimed to have heard a gunshot. The victim was later found at Community Hospital South where Birk had driven her following the shooting.
Police said the victim sustained a traumatic gunshot wound to her mouth and lower jaw and could not initially answer questions to police outside of nodding or shaking her head.
A few weeks later, once the victim was able to speak again, she told police she and Birk had been arguing prior to the shooting due to him demanding the $2,800 in stimulus money she was expecting to receive. Birk wanted to use the money to buy guns while she wanted to spend the money on her two children, court records indicate.
The argument became heated and Birk struck her in the face at one point while she was driving. The victim eventually pulled her vehicle over and demanded Birk get out of her van. Birk then drew the gun he was illegally carrying and shot her in the face.
Several witnesses reported hearing the woman scream and heard Birk demand she get back in the van. Birk reportedly drove the woman around for a few minutes before finally deciding to take her to the hospital, according to court documents.
