The suspect accused of shooting a man outside of a Naperville apartment complex earlier this week has been released from custody pending his trial.
Judge Joshua Dieden denied DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin’s motion to detain the 18-year-old subject during First Appearance Court Thursday morning. The suspect is charged with one count of Aggravated Battery – Discharge Machine Gun and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun, both Class X Felonies.
If found guilty, the suspect faces a potential sentence of between twelve to forty-five years in prison. As a condition of his pre-trial release, he will be subject to GPS electronic monitoring.
On Monday evening, Naperville police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Testa Drive where they located an 18-year-old male from Naperville laying on a grassy area outside an apartment building suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Naperville Fire Department personnel transported the victim to a local hospital where he is currently being treated for his injury, which is not believed to be life-threatening.
Following further investigation into the shooting, prosecutors allege that the suspect and several other individuals were in the 100 block of Testa Drive when a fight broke out between the victim and another individual. It is alleged that after the fight was over, the suspect pulled out a black and silver Glock with a thirty-round extended magazine, threading for a silencer and a switch to convert the firearm into a fully automatic firearm and shot the victim in the chest.
Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene and was found nearby by Naperville police officers a short time later. The bullet allegedly fired by the suspect entered through the victim’s chest, a couple inches to the right of his heart, and exited through his back, striking his lung.
“The allegation that [the suspect] pulled out a fully automatic weapon and shot a man in the chest following a fight that did not even involve him is outrageous,” Berlin said. “Violent crimes committed with the use of firearms will not be tolerated in DuPage County. Our streets must remain safe, and my office will continue to vigorously prosecute anyone accused of threatening public safety, particularly in cases that involve dangerous weapons, as alleged in this case.”
