Elgin man gets 7 years in prison for shooting

An Elgin man was sentenced Wednesday to 7½ years in prison for shooting a man who was defending a woman.

Nikolis Thurnau, 26, was found guilty in June of aggravated discharge of a firearm, according to the Kane County state's attorney's office.

On July 18, 2013, a female acquaintance of his stopped her car at an apartment building on Raymond Street in Elgin, walked up to the building to see a friend, and returned to her car because her friend wasn't home.

As she was walking away, Thurnau came out. The victim asked him a question, and he punched her.

A man who was accompanying the woman got out of the car and confronted Thurnau.

Thurnau then asked a friend to retrieve a gun, and shot the man in the right foot.

He was sentenced by Kane County Circuit Judge Susan Clancy Boles.

He will have to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence. He was given credit for the 730 days he has been in the Kane County jail while awaiting trial.

Thurnau was convicted in 2007 of criminal damage to property, and in 2009 for criminal trespass to a residence, both in Cook County.

He also has convictions for theft, aggravated battery, retail theft, and domestic battery in Kane County.

He was charged in June with aggravated battery while in the jail, but the prosecution of the case was dropped Wednesday.