5 years prison for man in Aurora parking lot shooting
A North Aurora man has been sentenced to five years in prison for opening fire at two men in a grocery store parking lot on Aurora's near west side in June.
Joshua J. Hampton, 26, of the 1900 block of Oak Street, pleaded guilty late last week to felony charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm, according to Kane County court records. The charge was punishable by three to seven years in prison.
The plea was made in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the most severe charges that carried a top prison term of 15 years, records show.
According to Aurora police, Hampton was accused of opening fire on two men, ages 22 and 25, in the early afternoon of June 17 in a grocery store parking lot on the 1200 block of North Lake Street.
Authorities said Hampton slowly drove his SUV toward the men and pointed a 9 mm handgun out the window.
But the 22-year-old, who had a concealed carry permit, pulled out his own gun and shot first - hitting and shattering one the SUV's windows, police said.
Hampton circled around twice and fired two shots and sped off; no one was hit or injured, authorities said.
Police tracked down Hampton days later using security video from the parking lot.
Under state law, Hampton can have his sentence cut in half for good behavior in prison.
He also gets credit for 162 days served at the Kane County jail where he was held on $250,000 bail while the case was pending.