A man was arrested after prosecutors say he fired a gun outside his residence in Waukegan, just feet away from a neighbor and her dog, to see if the gun “still worked.”
Charles A. Carani, 67, of Waukegan, was charged with one count of reckless discharge of a firearm.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Francis DeRosa said a resident had taken her dog outside to the front yard on May 4.
She heard a loud pop and saw Carani, who is her neighbor, putting a gun into a container.
The woman called 911 and officers spoke to Carani, who initially denied firing a gun.
Carani then said he might have fired the gun and if he did fire it, it would have been into the ground, DeRosa said.
DeRosa said Carani indicated that firing the gun into the ground was proper gun safety.
An evidence technician was called and inspected an area of grass between the two houses for evidence.
Carani later admitted to shooting the gun into the ground between his house and the neighbor’s house, DeRosa said.
He told police he did it because he wanted to see if the firearm “still worked,” DeRosa said.
The neighbor had been just four feet away from where the man fired the gun.
Officers seized six firearms from Carani’s residence, DeRosa said.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Carani held on a $35,000 bond.
Carani remains held in the Lake County Jail and would need to post $3,500 cash to be released.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 7.