8 years for shooting tow-truck driver in Elgin
A South Elgin man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting a tow-truck driver.
Kane County Circuit Judge John Barsanti pronounced the sentence Thursday for Devonne L. Montgomery, 22, of the 1100 block of Kane Street. In April, a jury convicted Montgomery of aggravated battery with a firearm.
On Oct. 18, 2015, a tow-truck driver was removing a car from a parking lot on the 1200 block of Fleetwood Drive in Elgin. A man approached, holding keys, asking for the car not to be towed. The truck driver agreed, lowered the car and unhooked it.
Montgomery came up, shouting about not towing the car; the victim said he would not tow the car and told Montgomery to go mind his own business, according to Kane County prosecutors.
Montgomery then pulled a Beretta 9 mm handgun from his waistband and shot the driver in the left shoulder. As the driver ran to get in his truck, Montgomery fired another shot, but missed him.
The victim suffered a broken shoulder blade, a broken collarbone and a nicked lung. He has had several surgeries to repair the damage and continues to recover, according to a news release from the Kane County state's attorney's office.
Montgomery will have to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence, or more than 6¾ years. He gets credit for the 606 days he has spent in the Kane County jail since his arrest.