COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Prosecutors have charged a River North man with firing a high-powered pellet rifle at his neighbors' balconies — damaging furniture, potted plants, railings and walls.
When police arrested Jiageng Li, a 24-year-old software engineer from China, in his apartment Tuesday, they found the rifle under his bed, according to an arrest report. It had a silencer and scope, and there were several boxes of pellets and carbon-dioxide containers in the apartment, court records show.
Rounds from the rifle travel anywhere from 870 to 1,000 feet per second, Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said during a bond hearing Friday.
It's unclear why Li allegedly shot at the balconies.
A SWAT team responded to the 400 block of West Huron Street on Tuesday when several residents in one of the buildings reported loud noises and shots fired, Antonietti said. One woman was sitting on her balcony when she heard loud bangs; the woman's cooler, wicker furniture and balcony wall had been shot.
Another resident heard loud noises outside, prosecutors said, and discovered that a potted plant and balcony railing had been struck by pellets.
And a third resident was outside when he heard loud noises and decided to head back into his apartment, Antonietti said, adding that a metal sconce on his balcony was damaged.
When police canvassed the area, one of Li's neighbors in the 600 block of North Kingsbury Street reported hearing loud bangs from a nearby apartment, prosecutors said. Li's building sits about a block southwest of the Huron building that he allegedly targeted.
In all, damage was reported at five units on the fifth, ninth and 14th floors, according to the arrest report.
Li was arrested about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday and subsequently charged with possessing a gun without a valid FOID card, and three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. on Friday ordered Li held in lieu of $250,000 bail. Li, who is a citizen of China, is only allowed to post bond if the Cook County Sheriff's Office provides electronic monitoring, the judge ordered.
Li's attorney said Li is a University of Illinois graduate who's lived in the area for seven years.
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