A Machesney Park man has been sentenced to prison for a 2024 shooting, according to court records.
Meovonte L. Cooper, 23, received a 26-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections for attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery. Under state law, he must serve at least 85% of his sentence. Cooper will also be on mandatory supervised release for three years after his release from prison.
Cooper was convicted following a jury trial in March 2025. The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 24, 2024, when Winnebago County deputies responded to reports of multiple gunshots in the 8600 block of N Second Street in Machesney Park.
Deputies stopped a vehicle leaving the area and identified Cooper as the driver. A gun was found in the car, though it was unloaded. At the same time, a 911 call reported a man had been shot in the 1000 block of Minns Drive. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the back and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Investigators determined that Cooper shot the victim while he was asleep on a couch. Authorities allege that Cooper drove his car onto the victim’s lawn, climbed onto the car’s roof, and accessed a second-floor balcony before firing through a window. The incident was reportedly captured on a security camera.
