An Elgin man has been sent to prison for shooting a man who had come to the defense of a female acquaintance.

Nikolis D. Thurnau, 26, of the 2200 block of Dorchester Court, Elgin, was sentenced late Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, by Circuit Judge Susan Clancy Boles, to 7½ year in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Thurnau was convicted June 19, 2015, by a Kane County jury, of aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony.

Prosecutors presented evidence that at about 11 p.m. July 18, 2013, a female acquaintance stopped her car at an apartment building in the 300 block of Raymond Street on Elgin’s east side. The female walked up the building to see a friend, who wasn’t home. As she was walking away and back to her car, Thurnau walked out of the building.

The female asked Thurnau a question and Thurnau punched her. The victim then got out the car and confronted Thurnau for punching the female. Thurnau told a friend to retrieve a gun. The 40-caliber handgun was then given to Thurnau. Thurnau used the gun to shoot the victim in the right foot.

Thurnau has a notable criminal history with a 2007 conviction for criminal damage to property and a 2009 conviction for criminal trespassing to a residence, both in Cook County, along with later Kane County convictions for theft, aggravated battery, retail theft, domestic battery and resisting a peace officer. Thurnau served a prison sentence for the aggravated battery conviction.

According to Illinois law, Thurnau must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence. He was given credit for at least 730 days served in the Kane County jail.

The case was prosecuted by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Alex Bederka and Dave Belshan.

SOURCE: Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office press release