A former Chicago man was sentenced on Wednesday to 24 years in prison for shooting another man during a children’s birthday party at a suburban indoor amusement park in 2021.
On Wednesday, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced that 30-year-old Meco Norris had been sentenced to 24 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the November 2021 shooting, which he later described as “one of the most egregious displays of disregard for public safety” he had ever seen in his 38 years of prosecuting.
Around 6:56 p.m., the Villa Park Police Department and neighboring law enforcement agencies responded to a report of shots fired at the Safari Land amusement park, located at 701 West North Avenue in Villa Park, according to officials.
Norris and the man he shot were both at a birthday celebration at Safari Land when Norris pulled out a revolver and shot him three times: once in the right chest, once in the right shoulder, and once in the right arm, according to authorities.
According to authorities, Norris fled the scene of the shooting and hid the firearm in a neighborhood behind Safari Land. He was arrested the next day at his Chicago home.
The victim was taken to a local hospital and treated for his injuries. Authorities said he has since recovered.
Norris was sentenced little over two months after Judge Joseph Bugos found him guilty of three charges of aggravated violence with a handgun, resulting in severe bodily injury to the victim, on December 11.
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