Illinois teen sent to juvenile prison in classmate shooting
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CHARLESTON, Ill. — An Illinois high school student accused of shooting a classmate last year has been sentenced to juvenile prison, with the possibility of adult prison if he commits other crimes.
The Journal Gazette and Times-Courier reports that the 15-year-old boy was sentenced Thursday by Coles County Circuit Judge Matt Sullivan.
The September 2017 shooting in the Mattoon High School cafeteria left one student hospitalized.
The judge said he didn’t care whether the shots the teen fired were intentional or accidental. He said it only mattered that he took a gun to school planning to shoot someone.
The teen pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm in August.
A 25-year sentence in adult prison can be imposed if the teen commits other crimes or otherwise violates sentence requirements. Detention in the juvenile system can’t go past age 21.
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Information from: Mattoon Journal-Gazette, http://www.jg-tc.com
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