Man sentenced to 24 years for shooting at Safari Land indoor amusement park in Villa Park, Illinois

A Chicago man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for a shooting inside an amusement park in west suburban Villa Park in 2021.

Meco Norris, 30, was convicted in December on three counts of aggravated battery in connection to the November 2021 shooting inside Safari Land indoor amusement park.

DuPage County prosecutors said, shortly before 7 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2021, Norris was at Safari Land for a birthday party, when he pulled out a gun and shot another man three times in front of dozens of children and parents.

The victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Norris fled the scene and hid the gun in a nearby residential neighborhood. He was arrested the next day at his home in Chicago and has been held at the DuPage County Jail ever since.

"In my thirty-eight years as a prosecutor, Mr. Norris' actions are among the most egregious displays of disregard for public safety I have ever seen. With dozens of young children just feet away, I shudder to think of the potential loss of life Mr. Norris' actions could have caused," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

On Wednesday, DuPage County Judge Joseph Bugos sentenced him to 8 years in prison for each of the three counts of aggravated battery for which Norris had been convicted, with the sentences to be served consecutively, for a total of 24 years.

Norris must serve at least 85% of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.