An alleged gunman has been charged after prosecutors say he opened fire and shot a man in the chest during an argument at a dog park in Lake Forest Sunday.
The Lake Forest Police Department said they responded around 6:30 p.m. Sunday to the Prairie Wolf Forest Preserve Dog Park at 1917 South Waukegan Road in Lake Forest for a report of a shooting.
Responding officers were able to take the shooter into custody without incident, police officials said.
A gunshot victim was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for treatment by the Lake Forest Fire Department.
Emergency radio traffic indicated the victim was a male in his early 20s. His condition has not been released.
The weapon believed to have been used in this incident was recovered, officials said.
Court records show 35-year-old Matthew D. Moy was the suspect arrested. He has been charged with one count of aggravated battery by discharging a firearm, a Class X felony.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffery Facklam said Moy and the victim got into an argument, apparently over a dog.
The argument began inside the dog park and was captured on cell phone video. The victim was seen pushing Moy inside the dog park.
Moy exited the park and went into the parking lot without his dog, Facklam said. The victim also went into the parking lot.
The two continued to argue and were pushing each other, Facklam said. Moy went to his truck and then came back into the parking lot where he and the victim continued to argue.
Facklam said the victim took a couple of steps toward Moy following several minutes of arguing, at which time Moy pulled out a gun from his pocket and shot the victim in the chest.
Moy called 911 and remained at the scene. Facklam said it appeared Moy retrieved the gun from the center console of his truck when he went to his vehicle in the middle of the argument.
Police did not locate any weapons on the victim and the evidence shows he was unarmed, Facklam said.
Moy does not have a criminal history and at the time possessed a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card and concealed carry license.
Facklam argued that Moy poses a threat to the community due to his willingness to resort to the use of a firearm to settle a relatively minor argument.
“The defendant escalated a verbal argument and minor physical altercation into shooting an unarmed victim,” the prosecutor said.
“This all happened in a public setting with numerous other bystanders around. Rather than attempting to leave, the defendant went to his car to get his firearm to escalate the argument further,” Facklam said.
“The defendant then kept the gun hidden in his pocket and removed it only to shoot the victim. The defendant’s statements about how the argument started were contradicted by other witnesses that were interviewed by police,” Facklam added.
Moy was booked into the Lake County Jail early Monday afternoon prior to a First Appearance Court hearing later that day.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed a petition to detain Moy in the jail while he awaits trial.
A detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.