Streator shooting suspect ordered held in La Salle County Jail as investigation continues

The investigation isn’t finished yet and the one man in custody said it wasn’t him who fired two rounds into a Streator home. Zachary Frickey is being held, anyway.

Zachary D. Frickey, 31, of Streator appeared Tuesday in La Salle County Circuit Court and was presented with two charges. They are aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony carrying four to 15 years in prison, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 4 felony carrying one to three years but with no possibility of probation.

A report from Streator police is pending and it was clear from Tuesday’s proceedings there is a second person of interest. Nevertheless, La Salle County prosecutors asked to have Frickey jailed ahead of trial and disclosed some statements he gave Streator police in which he admitted discharging a handgun even though he denied firing at the residence.

Prosecutor Greg Sticka said two Streator homeowners contacted police early Monday that shots were fired at their home in the 200 block of East Grove Street. Streator police arrived and found two bullet holes in the residence.

The homeowners also named a person of interest. Frickey, with whom the couple had an ongoing dispute, had done “burnouts” in their yard with a pickup truck. One of the homeowners followed the pickup and identified Frickey as the driver.

Frickey was interviewed by Streator police, according to open-court statements, admitted doing the burnouts and then borrowing a .45-caliber pistol that he fired near (but not at) the East Grove Street home.

Frickey told police he fired out his sunroof and that it was a passenger (not named in open court) who aimed at the house.

Public Defender Ryan Hamer acknowledged both felony charges are detainable but questioned whether police had, in fact, identified the actual gunman. He further noted Frickey acknowledged firing an illegal shot and might well have admitted shooting at the house – if he’d in fact done so.

“He’s going to own up to that (the stray shot),” Hamer argued, “why would he not own up to (shooting at the house)?”

Frickey also scored low on a risk assessment, had no felony priors or missed court dates.

But Chief Judge Chris Ryan Jr. decided that even if Frickey hadn’t fired at the house, his overall conduct and the sequence of events made it risky to opt for release, even with conditions.

Frickey, who indicated he’s seeking private counsel, will appear Oct. 5 for appearance with counsel and arraignment.