Hoffman Estates woman accused of firing gun from balcony

A Hoffman Estates woman was ordered held on $5,000 bail Thursday on charges she fired a gun from an apartment balcony.

Maria L. Gonzalez is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. Probation is also an option.

According to prosecutors, Hoffman Estates police responded to a report of shots fired on the 700 block of Salem Drive at 9:53 p.m. Tuesday. Officers saw people on the balcony and multiple bullet casings on the ground below the apartment.

After making contact with the occupants, officers learned there were young children in a bedroom, said Assistant Cook County State's Attorney C.J. Orrantia. When officers went to the bedroom, they noticed a black handgun, a firearm magazine and ammunition on the bedroom's windowsill, Orrantia said.

In an interview with police, Gonzalez "provided inconsistent statements and said she may or may not have fired the gun," according to Orrantia.

According to Assistant Cook County Public Defender Joshua Nathan, Gonzalez's 22-year-old son lives in the apartment where she also resides. He owns the firearm and has a valid FOID card, Nathan said.

Cook County Judge Steven Goebel ordered all firearms removed from the apartment as a condition of Gonzalez's bail.

"Shooting guns from a balcony in a residential area is inexcusable and highly dangerous," Goebel said.

Gonzalez next appears in court Aug. 26.