North Chicago man denies shooting outside Gurnee restaurant

A North Chicago man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he shot another man during a fracas outside a Gurnee restaurant.

Joe Richardson-Wester, 27, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of aggravated discharge of a firearm in the Feb. 15 attack.

Police said Richardson-Wester was one of about 15 people involved in a disturbance outside In-Laws Restaurant and Sports Bar just before midnight on Feb. 15.

Police were called, and an officer reported hearing what sounded like gunfire as he approached the scene.

The officer also noticed a dark SUV leaving the parking lot with its lights off, and another officer stopped the vehicle less than a mile away.

The vehicle, which was driven by Richardson-Wester, had several bullet holes in it and police found a handgun nearby.

A 33-year-old man from North Chicago was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and told police he had been wounded at In-Laws.

Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak scheduled a trial of the case for April 23. He ordered Richardson-Wester, who is held on $100,000 bond, to appear in court March 29.