A former police officer was arrested after Algonquin police say he accidentally discharged his gun into a neighbor’s occupied home and did not check if anyone was hurt.
Mario P. Giannini Jr., 56, of the 1-99 block of Kingsmill Court in Algonquin, was charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony.
The Algonquin Police Department responded around 8:30 a.m. August 18 to a home in the 1-99 block of Kingsmill Court for a report of a shot fired.
Officers determined that a bullet had exited from Giannini’s residence and entered a neighbor’s home, according to Algonquin Deputy Police Chief Ryan Markham.
Officers investigated and learned that Giannini had fired one round from a handgun. The round exited through the wall of his residence and entered through the wall of the neighboring residence, Markham said.
The neighbor’s home had been occupied at the time of the incident but no one was injured.
Giannini was unclear as to the circumstances that led to the weapon being discharged, Markham said.
“However, it does not appear as if the discharge of the weapon was intentional and was likely the result of reckless and negligent handling of the firearm,” Markham added.
Giannini did not contact police to report the incident and did not check to see if anyone had been injured after the bullet discharged, police said.
He was arrested and transported to the McHenry County jail where he was later released after posting 10% of his $10,000 bond.
The Northwest Herald reported that Giannini worked as a deputy for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office from March 1999 to January 2017. He went on to work for the Prairie Grove Police Department and left in February.