COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A West Ridge man shot at a neighbor who asked him to stop setting off fireworks about 10 p.m. Sunday, prosecutors said.
The gunman, 25-year-old Giann Chiazim, then called police to confess he'd fired several shots toward a neighbor — but didn't know if he hit the man, prosecutors said.
The neighbor got away.
But police arrested Chiazim and accomplice Luis Silva, 24, who now face felony charges. The pair appeared Tuesday in bond court, where prosecutors said Chiazim had a valid FOID card.
"Not anymore," Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. quipped before setting Chiazim's bail at $150,000.
The altercation started just before 10 p.m. Sunday, Assistant State's Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said in court Tuesday.
The 40-year-old neighbor was walking home when he heard Chiazim and Silva setting off fireworks in an alley, according to prosecutors.
The man asked Chiazim and Silva to quiet down, Scaduto said, and was convinced Silva "stared him down" during the conversation. That's when the neighbor pushed Silva, who fell backwards onto Chiazim, who relies on a wheelchair to get around, court records show.
The argument soon turned physical, Scaduto said, and the neighbor heard someone say, "Get the gun."
The neighbor took off running, court records show, and Chiazim fired several shots.
According to an arrest report, Chiazim told police, "My neighbor was aggressive toward me, and I shot at him. It's me. I'm the one that called."
Silva, meanwhile, told officers, "I didn't shoot at anyone. I just shot off the gun in the backyard at some cans and the ground," the arrest report said.
Inside Chiazim's bedroom police found a loaded .40 caliber handgun with two bullets, as well as two loaded magazines, court records show.
Silva was carrying two .40 caliber bullets in his front pocket when he was arrested about 10:10 p.m. Sunday, police said.
Chiazim, of West Ridge, is charged with aggravated assault by discharging a firearm. He was previously convicted of misdemeanor assault, records show.
Silva, of the 3800 block of North Richmond Street, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and possession of ammunition without a valid FOID card. He was previously convicted of felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
The neighbor was not charged.
Bourgeois on Tuesday said Silva could be released on electronic monitoring if he qualifies for the Cook County Sheriff's Office's monitoring program. If not, Silva will be responsible for $100,000 bail.
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