Prosecutors say a woman opened fire on her partner, leaving him wounded, as he walked away from her outside a hotel in Gurnee before hovering over him while pointing the gun at him as he lay injured.
The Gurnee Police Department responded around 11:53 a.m. Friday to the Ten Hotel, 6161 Grand Avenue in Gurnee, for a report of a shooting.
Officers spoke with a staff member who relayed that she was told by maintenance personnel that they believed a shooting had occurred the prior evening, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis.
Video surveillance showed the shooting occurred around 9:45 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day when a dark Dodge Caravan pulled up to the front loading driveway of the hotel.
A male passenger exited the passenger side and threw something to the ground.
Theis said the man appeared to be arguing with the driver as he was walking away.
The driver, later identified as Angela M. Mack, 40, of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, exited the vehicle and walked up behind the passenger, who was identified as the victim, with a black handgun in her hand, Theis said.
Theis said Mack fired a round from the gun into the ground between the two, who were in a relationship. They were not guests at the hotel.
The victim faced Mack and began to back away towards the door of the hotel.
Mack followed the victim and fired another round into a pillar that was between the victim and herself, Theis said.
The victim stopped in front of the hotel and Mack pointed the gun at the victim while yelling at him.
Theis said the victim took a step back and Mack then shot the victim in the right thigh.
The male victim fell to the ground and Mack stood over him while pointing the pistol at him, Theis said.
The victim threw a pack of cigarettes to the ground and Mack picked them up and got back into the Dodge.
The victim was able to get up from the ground and stumbled his way into the car before the two drove away.
Theis said officers recovered three 9mm shell casings and a fragmented shell projectile consistent with the video footage. Pools of blood were also seen.
Detectives learned that a gunshot victim had arrived at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan.
They responded to the hospital and took Mack into custody while also locating the victim being treated by medical staff.
Mack was interviewed and told investigators that they were arguing earlier in the night at a relative’s house outside of Gurnee, Theis said.
She said they left and continued to verbally argue and then physically fight. Theis said Mack admitted to shooting the victim with a Smith and Wesson pistol that she owned.
Mack has a valid concealed carry license from Wisconsin.
“This defendant followed the victim from the vehicle and fired two rounds, toying with him before shooting him in the leg. After shooting the victim in the leg, the defendant stood over him, pointing the pistol at him before getting a pack of cigarettes and getting back into the car,” Theis said.
Mack was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and reckless discharge of a firearm.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Mack pending trial.
“The defendant did not even help the victim get in the vehicle. There are no conditions or combination of conditions that this defendant will follow and we ask that she be detained,” Theis said.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition to detain following a detention hearing held on Monday afternoon.
A public defender argued during the hearing that the victim has a significant criminal history and was physically attacking Mack but prosecutors countered that the surveillance video showed no physical altercation when the shooting happened.
Mack, who was highly emotional in court, said she was the victim in the case and that the video did not show everything.
“This was an isolated incident between two individuals who are known to each other. There is no ongoing threat to the public,” Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor said.
Mack is scheduled to appear in court again on December 23 for a preliminary hearing.