The two Indiana State troopers saw the muzzle flash from a passing car’s passenger window and heard three gunshots around Ind. 49 and U.S. 20 in Porter early Saturday morning.
After they stopped the vehicle, the passenger, identified as Gary A. Ottomanelli, 40, of Porter, admitted that he fired his handgun “just to shoot it” but had no intent to harm anyone though a residential neighborhood is nearby, a State Police release said.
Ottomanelli now is charged with a Level 5 felony of recklessness with a deadly weapon shooting from a vehicle and a Level 6 felony of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon. He was taken to the Porter County Jail.
Shortly after making the traffic stop, a Porter Police officer arrived and told the trooper that their department had received a 911 call at around 2:30 a.m. about shots being fired nearby. The timeframe of the 911 call lined up what the troopers had witnessed.
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The handgun, an FNX-9 semi-automatic 9 mm pistol, was found in the 2018 Honda. It was still loaded with ammunition, police said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.