News Local/State

Father of Illinois School Shooter Gets Probation

 

The father of a central Illinois teenager who pulled a gun in his class and fired shots into the ceiling has admitted giving the boy the weapon.

Forty-three-year-old Rodney Kinder pleaded guilty Thursday to unlawful delivery of a firearm to a minor. He was given two months of probation.

The Pantagraph in Bloomington reports that a second charge was dropped in a plea deal.

Kinder's son was sentenced to juvenile prison for the Sept. 7 shooting at Normal Community High School. A teacher tackled the teen and no one was injured.

The boy pleaded guilty but mentally ill in December.

According to court documents, Kinder gave his son the .22-caliber Ruger pistol for Christmas in 2011 though he knew the boy didn't have a valid firearm owner's identification card.