Wilmington man accused of firing gun into air, ground in misdemeanor case

A Wilmington man is facing misdemeanor charges after he was accused of firing a gun into the air and into the ground in response to seeing three men trimming trees on land that he gifted to the University of Illinois, police said.

David Grohne, 86, was accused by three men who were trimming and removing trees of firing two shots and then walking toward them while he had a handgun in his hand, according to Will County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer.

No one was injured in the incident.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the incident about noon on Tuesday at Murphy and Cooper roads in Wilmington Township, Hoffmeyer said.

The three men told the deputies that they were hired to remove and trim trees on the property and they were workingwomen they heard the two shots, Hoffmeyer said.

Then the men saw Grohne walk out of the wooded area toward them, Hoffmeyer said. Two of the three men ran, she said.

The third man, after hearing a second shot, had turned around and saw Grohne about 15 feet away from him with a handgun pointed toward the ground, Hoffmeyer said.

The man then ran toward his co-workers and called 911, she said.

When deputies spoke with Grohne at his residence, he told them that he saw three men trimming trees on land that he gifted to the University of Illinois, Hoffmeyer said.

Grohne said that the trees that were supposed to be trimmed were only on the easement area, and not on his property, she said.

Grohne said he fired one shot into the air and a second shot into the ground to get the attention of the three men, she said.

On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Grohne with misdemeanor disorderly conduct for coming in the direction of the men and allegedly discharging his firearm two times.

He was also charged with misdemeanor possession of a firearm without having a valid firearm owner’s identification card.

Grohne was booked into Will County jail on a $5,000 bond.