Elgin man guilty of shooting girlfriend

An Elgin man who shot his girlfriend in the leg during an argument in their east-side home last fall was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison, officials said.

Gene Morrison Sr., 57, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony, at a hearing in front of Kane County Associate Judge Allen M. Anderson. As part of the plea deal, two counts of armed violence were dismissed.

Prosecutors said Morrison pulled a Bryco 9 mm handgun and pointed it at his girlfriend's head during an Oct. 16 argument at their home on the 400 block of Prospect Boulevard.

The victim grabbed at the gun and pushed it down as it fired, striking her twice in the left leg, prosecutors said. She then was pistol-whipped while laying on the ground bleeding, authorities said.

Morrison, who has a previous domestic battery conviction, was given credit for 200 days served in the county jail since his arrest. By law, he must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, or about 10 years and two months.