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Shooter at Illinois Capitol sentenced to mental health facility

Derek Potts has had a history of mental illness.
Derek Potts has had a history of mental illness.

By Kavitha Cardoza, Illinois Public Radio

Springfield, Ill. – The man who shot and killed an unarmed guard at the Illinois Capitol building two years ago could spend the rest of his life locked up.

A Sangamon County judge has ordered Derek Potts, 25, to be confined to a secure state mental health facility for treatment. The sentence could be for the rest of his natural life.

In 2004, Potts walked into the north entrance of the Capitol and show William Wozniak, 51, of Petersburg, once in the chest.

Potts has a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He thought he was ordered by an Eastern European group to steal a weapon and shoot a secuirty guard.

Multiple psychiatrists recommended a 'not guilty by reason of insanity' finding earlier this year.

The Department of Human Services is expected to decide where exactly Potts will be transferred to within a month. He's currently being held at the Chester Mental Health Center.

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