Prosecutors: Man killed over dispute about pizza and bar tab

Pre-trial release was denied Saturday for an Aurora man accused of shooting another man after a dispute over pizza and a bar tab at a Wheaton bar.

Michael Freund, 49, of the 3200 block of Bromley Lane, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Dexter Perkins Friday morning. The shooting occurred around 8:41 a.m. outside Rosie O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and Grub, 0N131 Gary Ave.

Freund appeared in first appearance court Saturday morning before DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden.

Prosecutors said a dispute arose over pizza and the bar tab between Perkins, Freund and two of Freund’s co-workers. Perkins, who did not know the three men, “began to get aggressive” with them while buying everyone at the bar drinks. When Freund and his co-workers ordered a pizza, Perkins took it to his seat at the bar, prosecutors said.

Freund and his co-workers then left the bar to retrieve a gun in Freund’s car. When they re-entered the bar, the three men and Perkins went out onto the deck where Perkins and one of the other men got into a scuffle, which at one point included dancing. During the scuffle, Freund fired two warning shots in the air from a 9 mm handgun and told the two men to stop fighting, according to court documents.

After the warning shots, Perkins approached the other man and Freund fired at Perkins, shooting him in the torso and face, authorities said. In a court filing, prosecutors allege that Freund fired at Perkins nine times and that Perkins was shot at least three times in the torso and once in the face.

Freund then placed his handgun into the center console of his truck, authorities said. When police arrived, Freund told police he was unarmed and that his gun was in his truck.

Police recovered video surveillance of the incident from the bar and a Ring doorbell captured audio of the 11 gunshots. A bar patron also captured video of the events leading up to the two warning shots, according to court documents.

Freund will appear in court again on Jan. 18 for arraignment.