Man convicted of 2025 shooting at ISU’s Bone Student Center given 25 years in prison
MCLEAN COUNTY (25News Now) -A Chicago man has been sentenced 25 years behind bars on Thursday for a shooting that happened on campus at Illinois State University in 2025.
20-year-old Emir Thomas was convicted in May of aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a handgun.
The shooting happened back in April of 2025 at the Bone Student Center located on North University in Normal. ISU officials report the shooting happened at the time of an event organized by a registered student organization.
University police responded to the Bone Student Center for shots fired, after a fight between two groups escalated. The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
ISU Police and U.S. Marshals arrested Thomas on June 24, 2025, in Chicago.
Jurors acquitted Thomas of attempted murder back in May of this year, but they found him guilty of an equally serious charge for which the maximum sentence was 30 years.
McLean County Judge William Yoder handed down the sentence Thursday.
State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds sa...