Prosecutors say a man, who claimed to police he was selling body oil, fired multiple gunshots in a parking lot behind businesses in Waukegan to act “cool and show off” to his friends.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said a Waukegan police detective was on a night detail on April 17 when he was driving past a strip mall in the 2100 block of North Green Bay Road in Waukegan.
He saw three people in the parking lot in front of The Sip 21, 2120 North Green Bay Road.
The detective noticed that the hatch of a car was open when he initially drove by around 1:15 a.m., McConnell said.
He heard two to three gunshots fired from the rear parking lot of the business and circled back to investigate.
McConnell said the detective saw the same people in the back parking lot but the hatch of the car was closed by a man, later identified as Martin Rodriguez, 28, of Winthrop Harbor.
Officers asked Rodriguez if he had a firearm and he said that he was licensed. He had a Firearm Owner’s Identification card but no concealed carry license.
Rodriguez admitted that his firearm was in the car in a cooler, McConnell said.
Officers asked him if he had fired the gun and he said that he had just heard gunshots while he was selling body oil.
Detectives located a spent shell casing on the ground underneath the vehicle, McConnell said.
The gun in the cooler had a live round in the chamber and the round matched the ammunition that was located on the ground.
Rodriguez was confronted with the evidence and admitted that he was the one who fired the gun, McConnell said.
McConnell said detectives came to the conclusion after interviewing Rodriguez that he was “trying to seem cool” and “show off to his friends.”
Rodriguez was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony, and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, a Class 4 felony.
“This Defendant does not have a CCL, meaning he is not permitted to have his firearm on his person in public, not broken down, unloaded, and in a carrying case. Yet, this Defendant chose to bring his loaded gun out to the parking lot of a bar in the middle of the night and shoot the firearm not once, but multiple times,” McConnell said.
“In the area where this Defendant discharged the firearm there are multiple other businesses including other bars. This Defendant put himself, his friends, and anyone who may have been in the area in the other businesses or homes nearby, in danger,” the prosecutor added.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Rodriguez pending trial and Lake County Judge James Simonian denied the request during a detention hearing.
A public defender for Rodriguez said his client has no criminal history, is a FedEx driver and is the sole financial provider for his children. The attorney also argued that the firing of the gun was “accidental.”
The judge released Rodriguez on pre-trial conditions, which include Level 3 pre-trial services monitoring with no alcohol or drugs. He was also ordered not to possess weapons and turn over his FOID card.
Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in court again on July 15 for a status of preliminary hearing.