Man charged with firing handgun in Villa Park neighborhood

The state’s motion to detain pretrial a Chicago man accused of firing a handgun in a Villa Park residential neighborhood was denied Nov. 30.

Jacorey Hughes, 22, of the 1400 block of South 59th Court, appeared in First Appearance Court charged with three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

About 11:33 p.m. Nov. 28, Villa Park police responded to a call of shots fired in the 400 block of East Kolberg Court near the intersection of Kolberg Court and South Oakland Avenue.

After an investigation, it is alleged that about 11:30 p.m., Hughes was walking south on Oakland Avenue when he fired a handgun multiple times. Several of the bullets Hughes fired struck an occupied vehicle and a nearby house, according to the release.

After allegedly firing the weapon, Hughes fled the scene and threw an object into a bush. A short time later, Oak Brook Terrace police arrested Hughes in a parking lot in the 300 block of East Roosevelt Road, according to the release.

When processing the scene, authorities recovered multiple bullets from the outside walls of the home allegedly struck, one bullet from the vehicle allegedly struck and six shell casings on Oakland Avenue. Authorities recovered a Ruger 9 mm handgun from the bush, according to the release.

“It is alleged that at approximately 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night, Mr. Hughes demonstrated a complete disregard for public safety and the rule of the law and opened fire in a residential neighborhood, striking a house and an occupied vehicle,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “This type of violent gun behavior that puts the public at risk will most certainly not be tolerated in DuPage County and will be met with the full force of the law. Thankfully, no one in the home nor the individual that was in the vehicle that was struck by gunfire were injured or killed as a result of Mr. Hughes alleged violent actions.”

“First and foremost, we are thankful no one was injured or killed in this incident. We are also thankful for the level of support and vigilance the community showed in this case. We are all in this together to help keep our streets safe. The alleged actions of the accused will never be tolerated in Villa Park or in DuPage County,” Villa Park Chief of Police Michael Rivas said in the release.

Hughes’ next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 26 for arraignment.