Four shots fired
PRINCETON — Two people remain in the Bureau County Jail after being charged in a shooting incident early Tuesday morning in DePue.
Maria L. Gasca, 27, and Delargo L. Gullens, 20, both of 3128 Arlington Drive in Princeton, appeared Wednesday afternoon in Bureau County Court before Associate Circuit Judge C.J. Hollerich.
Both Gasca and Gullens are charged with the Class 1 felony of aggravated discharge of a firearm as a result of the DePue shooting incident. The charge states Gullens and Gasca discharged a firearm into a building knowing, or reasonably should have known, the building was occupied.
Hollerich set bond at $75,000 for Gasca and at $150,000 for Gullens. The judge also appointed the Bureau County public defender’s office to represent the accused.
If convicted of the Class 1 felony of aggravated discharge of a firearm, Gasca and Gullens could each face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a $25,000 fine.
The case against Gasca and Gullens will be presented to the July 10 session of the Bureau County grand jury. They are to appear back in court at 1:30 p.m. July 10.
In reviewing the case on Wednesday morning, DePue Police Chief Mike West said the incident took place about 12:15 a.m. Tuesday on Bedford Drive in the Oakbrook Subdivision in DePue. Four suspects in two cars were involved in the incident, but only two, Gasca and Gullens, were arrested.
Gasca and Gullens alledgely went to the DePue residence, got out of their car, went into the backyard of the residence and fired four shots, according to witnesses. Three bullet casings were found, with one casing imbedded in the back door of the house.
The suspects definitely knew the people within the house, West said. It was not a drive-by or random shooting, the police chief said. No injuries were reported.
The suspects and their vehicles were located about 2:30 a.m. at the Tou-Rest Motel in Peru. After a short stand-off, the suspects were arrested and transported to the Peru Police Department. No shots were fired in the stand-off and arrest, West said.
After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicles, officers found a handgun, believed to be the shooting weapon, in the engine compartment of one of the vehicles. The gun had been recently fired four times.
Following Wednesday’s court hearing, Bureau County State’s Attorney Patrick Herrmann said he does not expect additional charges to be brought against Gasca or Gullens at this time. Also, there were one or possibly two other men at the shooting scene, but they have not been implicated in the activity.
Assisting the DePue Police Department with the arrest and investigation have been the Peru Police Department, Illinois State Police, LaSalle County Sheriff’s Department, TRI-DENT Task Force, Bureau County Sheriff’s Department and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services.