Boy gets juvenile prison for firing gun in school

BLOOMINGTON — A central Illinois judge has sentenced a 15-year-old to state juvenile prison for firing gunshots into the ceiling at his high school in Normal.

Judge Elizabeth Robb sentenced the boy on Tuesday. He could stay in the prison until he is 21. The judge says the boy “terrorized a room full of young people” and “rocked the community.” The boy's name was sealed in court records. There were no injuries after the Sept. 7 shooting at Normal Community High School.

The boy pleaded guilty but mentally ill in December to weapons charges and unlawful restraint. Eight counts were dismissed.

Public defender Art Feldman had asked the judge to give the boy five years' probation and mental health services. Prosecutors asked that the boy be kept in the juvenile detention system.