Man sentenced to 6 years for Stratford Square Mall shooting

He entered a guilty plea Oct. 18, 2019 or shooting the officer last year. | Adobe Stock Photo

A Glendale Heights man was sentenced to six years in prison for shooting a loss prevention officer last year at Stratford Square Mall in west suburban Bloomingdale.

Keonte Griffin, 24, entered a guilty plea to one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office said.

Keonte Griffin

Bloomingdale police were dispatched to reports of shots fired at the mall about 1:28 p.m. June 12, 2018, the state’s attorney’s office said. There, they found a loss prevention officer and Griffin with gunshot wounds.

An investigation found the officer had escorted Griffin out of the mall for urinating in a bottle and kicking it over in a changing room at the Burlington Coat Factory, the state’s attorney’s office said. Griffin tried going back in the store and shot the officer in the shoulder when he was denied entry.

Griffin was also shot in the hand and thigh during a struggle with the officer, the state’s attorney’s office said. Both men were treated for their injuries.

Griffin must serve at least 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, the state’s attorney’s office said.

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