A South Side man who shot a good Samaritan during a confrontation with a parking enforcement worker near Oakwood Beach two summers ago was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison.
William Hunter, 56, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery by discharging a firearm in exchange for the sentence from Judge Thomas Byrne. Prosecutors dropped six other felonies, including four counts of attempted murder.
The case centered on a July 8, 2023, shooting in the Oakwood Beach parking lot along the 3900 block of South Lake Shore Drive.
Prosecutors said Hunter was in his minivan when he saw a city revenue worker preparing to issue tickets in the lot. Hunter allegedly leaned out of his vehicle and shouted, “What the f*** are you doing?”
The worker ignored him, but Hunter got out, walked up to her, and yelled insults, officials said.
That’s when a 44-year-old driver entered the lot and tried to calm him down.
“He attempted to calm the defendant down and make a statement that the worker was just doing her job,” a prosecutor said shortly after Hunter’s arrest.
Instead of calming down, Hunter shoved the man, punched him in the face, and then pulled a handgun from his hoodie pocket, prosecutors said. He fired repeatedly, hitting the good Samaritan in the face, abdomen, arm, and side.
The meter maid ducked behind a car as the gunfire began. She later provided detectives with a partial license plate number that helped police identify Hunter’s minivan.
The victim was hospitalized in critical condition and underwent at least four surgeries.
Paramedics found a 9-millimeter pistol in the victim’s waistband, but prosecutors said all shell casings at the scene were .380 caliber and that the witness saw only Hunter fire.
Hunter must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for release. His previous convictions include DUI in 2015, burglary in 2012, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 2008.
