Harvard man, 19, gets 6 years in prison in shooting outside a gas station

A Harvard man has been sentenced to six years in prison in connection to a 2023 shooting at a local gas station that left one person wounded.

Inosensio Bautista, 19, entered a guilty plea Thursday before Judge Tiffany Davis in McHenry County court to one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony.

Bautista was originally charged with three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm in a vehicle by a gang member and possession of a firearm without a Firearm Owners Identification card, according to the original indictment. The other changes were dropped.

Bautista was 17 at the time of the shooting, which left an 18-year-old man with a wound to his lower leg.

The charges stemmed from an incident late on Sept. 10, 2023, when Harvard Police Department responded to the 1300 block of North Division Street for a report of gunshots, according to a news release. While en route, officers learned that an 18-year-old was being treated for a gunshot wound at Mercyhealth Hospital and Medical Center in Harvard.

According to a preliminary investigation, the 18-year-old and Bautista were at the Harvard Shell station, 1300 N. Division St., in a vehicle when they were approached by two or three people on bicycles.

“Words were exchanged, which led to the two groups exchanging gunfire before everyone fled the scene,” Harvard police said in the release.

Bautista was arrested about 10:30 a.m. the next day and charged, according to the release. He was subsequently taken to the Kane County Juvenile Detention Center and later detained in McHenry County Jail, according to court records.