$500K bond set in St. Charles shooting thwarted by school board president
Editor's note: The story has been updated to correct the spelling of the accused's name in some references.
The St. Charles man accused of beating and trying to shoot his wife was ordered held on $500,000 bail Thursday.
Scott J. Turyna, 65, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery and two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, all felonies.
His wife's condition at Delnor Hospital in Geneva was not immediately available.
But the situation could have been far more serious if not for the actions of Steve Spurling, president of the St. Charles school board. He and his wife were walking their dog when they came upon Turyna's wife, bloodied and running from the garage of their home on the 400 block of Hunt Club Drive. Spurling tackled the suspect and disarmed him, Spurling told the Daily Herald the day after the drama unfolded.
"We were just trying to calm people down, get them separated and all of a sudden the shooting started," Spurling said.
The domestic dispute escalated about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after Turyna was arguing with his wife about finances. At one point, police said, he threatened to kill her. As she tried to call police, Turyna knocked the phone out of her hands, pushed her down, sat on her chest and started punching her in her head and upper body.
Then, police said, he let her up and headed for a cabinet where his wife knew a handgun was stored. She fled the house through the garage.
Spurling said he saw the woman, bloodied and bruised, fall on the driveway. He and his wife tried to help her up, while Turyna yelled at them from the garage.
Spurling's wife then called police, and he saw Turyna pointing a brushed nickel-colored handgun at the women.
"I heard a shot and looked up," Spurling said. "I just tackled him and threw the gun to the ground so it was out of the way."
Police recovered Turyna's five-shot revolver and five spent shell casings from the scene.
Spurling held Turyna to the ground until police arrived. After searching the premises, police found 26 firearms and around 3,000 rounds of ammunition. Turyna had a valid Firearm Owner Identification card, police said.
Police said there was no history of domestic-related calls to the Turyna house, nor does he have a history of any previous arrests in Kane County.
Turyna must post $50,000 to be released from jail while the charges are pending. If he does, he will be required to wear an alcohol monitoring device. He is next due in court on May 27.
If convicted of the most severe charge, he faces between six to 30 years in prison and probation is not an option.