RENO, Nev. (AP) - A former Nevada Air National Guard captain was sentenced up to six years in prison for shooting an unarmed teenager twice in the leg in 2017 after he approached a group of teenagers he said appeared suspicious.
James Upton, 42, of Reno was found guilty of battery with a deadly weapon in the shooting near Huffaker Park, The Reno Gazette-Journal reports.
Officers from the Reno Police Department responded to a report of gunfire September 2017 and located both Upton and a juvenile victim suffering from two gunshot wounds to the leg, authorities said.
Upton took video and photos of four teenagers who appeared suspicious to him and his neighbors before he and a neighbor reportedly followed the group and stopped them, police said.
The teenagers then confronted the neighbor while Upton approached them to take more photos, authorities said. One of the teenagers, then 16, approached Upton who then fired three to five shots at him, authorities said.
The teen was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Upton was sentenced Monday to two to six years imprisonment with 78 days credited for time served, officials said.
Upton served with the state National Guard for more than five years.
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