Three Joliet men were arrested and each charged with aggravated battery with a firearm following an early Sunday shooting in Barrington.
Barrington police said the men were traveling home from a Lake Barrington party on Illinois Route 14 near Shorely Drive when they fired several rounds from their vehicle into another car.
Two occupants in the car were struck by gunshots, and the car left the road and crashed into a railroad gate, police said. One victim was struck in the face and the other suffered gunshot shrapnel in the back, said Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Cynthia Vargas.
Vargas said the victims’ car swerved and struck the defendant’s car on Route 14, and both vehicles crashed into a railroad gate.
One victim is in critical condition, while the other was released from the hospital, police said.
The weapon used was an AR-15 rifle, police said. Barrington police were called to the scene at 3:09 a.m.
Arrested in Joliet were Sherron P. Reed Jr., 20, of the 200 block of Sheridan Street; Brandon D. Campbell, 21, of the 400 block of Irving Street; and Justin L. Crowder, 19, of the 1400 block of Eunice Avenue. Bond was set at $1 million for Reed, $750,000 for Campbell and $500,000 for Crowder, Vargas said.
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With the help of an eyewitness description of the car, investigators determined it was owned by the mother of one of the defendants, Vargas said. Police went to the home in Joliet and saw three men standing near the car, and said shell casings were visible inside the car on the rear window ledge.
The car was impounded and searched, and it was determined the shell casings were consistent with the rounds shot into the victims’ car, Vargas said.
Detective Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said police received a complaint of parking problems because of a party in the 500 block of Welch Circle, Lake Barrington, about 1 a.m. Sunday.
Covelli said when deputies told the homeowner about the complaint that guests’ vehicles were impeding traffic on the street, the homeowner and guests complied and the deputies left the scene.
The incident is still under investigation.
Reed is to appear in court for a preliminary hearing May 3. Campbell and Crowder were given May 5 court dates, Vargas said.
Each has been charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm in the direction of an occupied vehicle. They are Class X felonies punishable by 6 to 30 years in prison on conviction, though the charges could include firearm enhancements that could carry long sentences.
The Major Case Assistance Team of Cook County participated in the investigation.
Jim Newton and Frank Abderholden are reporters for the News-Sun. Todd Shields is a Pioneer Press reporter.