Man involved in Aurora KFC shooting gets 29 years

A man has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for his role in a 2014 robbery that left three KFC employees shot and wounded in west suburban Aurora.

Claude Jackson, 49, of Aurora, entered a guilty plea to three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm in exchange for the prison time, according to a statement from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

On Sept. 24, 2014, Jackson and two others entered a KFC in the 1300 block of East New York Street and pointed a rifle at three employees, according to prosecutors. He demanded money from the register, but the employees were unable to open it.

Jackson then fired at least three shots, striking each employee once, the state’s attorney’s office said. One was struck in the arm and side, one was hit in the leg and the third employee was struck in the abdomen.

Jackson and his co-defendants fled in a white Cadillac Escalade, prosecutors said. Aurora police arrested them shortly after.

The two co-defendants have been charged, but their cases are pending, according to prosecutors. Jackson must serve at least 85 percent of his 29-and-a-half year sentence. He has already received almost four years of credit for time served in the Kane County Jail.