Crime & Safety
Brother's Accidental Shooting in South Elgin Leads to Mulitple Charges, Including Destruction of Evidence, Child Endangerment
The following information was supplied by the Kane County Sheriff's Office. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.
A bizarre May 5 shooting incident in unincorporated South Elgin near Route 31 has led to serious charges against the brother of the victim, including reckless discharge of a firearm, destruction of evidence and endangerment of a 2-year-old child.
The Kane County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday that they have arrested Alejandro Garcia, the brother of the victim, with an array of charges, including:
- Reckless discharge of a firearm—a Class 4 felony
- Destruction of evidence—a Class 4 felony
- Possession of approximately 35 grams of cannabis—a Class 4 felony
- Possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card—a Class A misdemeanor
- Possession of ammunition without a valid FOID card—a Class A misdemeanor
- Cause a child to be endangered—a Class A misdemeanor
The unusual story begins at around 12:30 a.m. May 5, when South Elgin police stopped a car for speeding and quickly discovered that a 20-year-old male passenger in the car had been shot. The passenger told South Elgin police that his brother accidentally shot him when they were handling a revolver in the victim's home in the 1100 block of Woodcliff Drive in unincorporated Elgin Township.
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Deputies went to the house on Woodcliff Drive and spoke to Garcia, the brother of the victim, according to the Tuesday press release issued by the Kane County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's deputies learned the shooting took place in a bedroom and that a 2-year-old child of Garcia was in the bedroom at the time of the shooting.
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Deputies discovered approximately 35 grams of cannabis, but were not able to locate the gun used in the incident, the press release said.
Patch reports on law enforcement activity in the Tri-Cities area, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify Geneva editor Rick Nagel at rickn@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.
