A judge sentenced a man to eight years in prison for firing a gun at a woman on the Woodstock Square before being taken into custody by a SWAT team in Harvard.
Erick Gomez-Rubi, 24, of Harvard, was charged in June 2023 with aggravated discharge of a firearm, reckless discharge of a firearm, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb said an altercation took place between Gomez-Rubi and a victim in the 200 block of North Benton Street in Woodstock around 10:40 p.m. on June 29, 2023.
Prosecutors said the two were in the outdoor area connected with the Benton Street Tap.
Gomez-Rubi pointed a gun at the victim before fleeing the scene to his parked car, Lieb said.
Gomez-Rubi drove back to the area of Benton Street and Judd Street where he re-engaged in the altercation with the victim.
Lieb said Gomez-Rubi again pointed the gun at the victim before discharging a single round.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Gomez-Rubi fired the gun “in a reckless manner” at the female victim.
The discharge of the gun placed the woman and other bystanders “in danger of great bodily harm,” the complaint said.
No one was injured during the shooting.
“It is believed that this incident occurred between two individuals who were known to each other, and with this arrest, there is no perceptible increased level of threat to the general public,” Lieb said at the time.
Gomez-Rubi does not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card or concealed carry license.
Gomez-Rubi fled the scene before officers arrived and went to his residence in the 1000 block of Joshua Tree in Harvard, prosecutors said.
Lieb said officers from the Harvard Police Department observed the suspect vehicle, followed it and observed Gomez-Rubi flee into the residence.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, McHenry County SWAT Team, Harvard Police Department and Woodstock Police Department responded to the scene.
Gomez-Rubi was eventually taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Woodstock Police Department.
The Woodstock Police Department Investigations Division continued the investigation and worked with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Gomez-Rubi was charged and transported to the McHenry County Jail.
Court records show Gomez-Rubi was out on bond at the time of the shooting.
He had been arrested three days prior after police found him with a gun in a vehicle along with 40 grams of cannabis on Sheila Street in Woodstock, court documents said.
Prosecutors said that Gomez-Rubi was driving his truck in the 1900 block of Shiela Street around 8:30 p.m. that day when he engaged in a verbal altercation with another driver, which escalated into Gomez-Rubi brandishing the black revolver and verbally threatening the victim.
He was released the next day after someone posted 10% of his $15,000 bond.
Court records show Gomez-Rubi entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office on Friday.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis approved the plea and sentenced Gomez-Rubi to eight years in prison for aggravated discharge of a firearm and one year in prison for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
The sentences will be served concurrently.