A Chicago man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison in connection with a 2025 shooting on the Illinois State University campus.
Emir Thomas, 21, was found guilty of shooting into a crowd after a dispute outside a sorority gathering on April 27, 2025, at the Bone Student Center.
Students sought refuge in the school Bowling and Billiards Center during the event, which shut down the facility for the weekend.
One person, who was not an ISU student, was hospitalized with gunshot wounds to the back and leg. Authorities used security camera footage to help identify Thomas, who was designated as a person of interest.
Prosecutors said the same people involved in the battle had an encounter on March 31, 2025, and the gunshot is suspected to be gang-related. A Bloomington Police Department gang expert recognized hand gestures that are known to be hostile to members of the Chicago gang coalition known as the Folk Nation.
An arrest warrant was issued four days after the event. After the shooting, prosecutors said Thomas never returned to Southern Illinois University, despite being a student, and that he last used his key fob and student ID card before arriving on homecoming weekend. He was apprehended in Chicago in June 2025, with the assistance of US Marshals.
Thomas was cleared of attempted murder in a McLean County trial in May. A jury convicted him of aggravated violence with a handgun and unlawful possession.
Judge William Yoder’s punishment was two years less than the maximum. Thomas was sentenced to 25 years in prison for severe battery, a Class X felony, and three years for unlawful possession, a Class 4 felony. He gained credit for the 489 days he spent in McLean County Jail.
According to McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds, Thomas must serve 85% of his sentence unless he is granted early parole since he is a juvenile offender. He could be eligible for a parole hearing in as little as 10 years.
Thomas, who will also spend three years of mandatory supervised release after he is released from jail, has filed a motion asking Yoder to reconsider the sentence. The hearing is scheduled for November 9.
The Bone Student Center shooting was the second to occur on or near campus during the 2024-25 academic year. Donye Arrington of Chicago is accused of killing an Oak Lawn youngster at a pop-up party on University and Locust streets during homecoming weekend in 2024. His case has not yet gone to trial. The final pre-trial hearing is planned for November 30.
This March, a third mass shooting occurred in an off-campus student housing complex, but no one was arrested.
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