Villa Park teen's trial begins in 2015 shooting of two Addison men

DuPage County prosecutors say a 16-year-old Bruce Berrier was an "enforcer" responsible for "clearing out unwanted people" from a Villa Park townhouse complex when he shot and seriously injured two Addison men in November 2015.

But Berrier's attorney, Ricardo Bird, said his client, now 18, was only protecting himself from a knife-wielding crowd when he fired several shots "into the ground."

Berrier, of the 900 block of West North Avenue, is standing trial charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and being held on $1 million bail.

Assistant State's Attorney Joe Lindt said one victim, Ivan Hernandez, was shot once in the leg and twice in the abdomen, fracturing his vertebrae. Another victim, Juan Rodriguez, was shot in the leg, shattering his femur.

Hernandez testified Wednesday, the opening day of the bench trial, that he had never met Berrier before that day when Berrier and another man invited Hernandez and five other people to the townhouse complex to "have drinks and chill."

Once Hernandez, Rodriguez and the other four people arrived, however, they were told there was no liquor.

Hernandez said someone in his group, angry about the situation, threw a snowball in the direction of Berrier and several people in his group in the parking lot. The snowball led to a verbal altercation, Hernandez said, and Berrier opened fire.

Rodriguez was shot first when he turned to run back toward his vehicle.

"I was running and I felt something cold on my leg, then I felt a sharp pain in my back," he said.

Bird, however, in his opening argument, told Judge Brian Telander that Hernandez and Rodriguez and members of their group "had knives and showed the knives,"

"(Berrier) had nowhere to go," Bird said. "He was in reasonable fear for his life."

The trial resumes Sept. 20.