Aurora man denies guilt in Elburn-area shooting

An Aurora man pleaded not guilty Friday to charges he shot a man and left him for dead in the middle of a road near Elburn.

Manuel Ramirez, 26, was arraigned on charges of attempted murder, armed violence, aggravated battery and marijuana possession with the intent to deliver in front of Kane County Judge T. Jordan Gallagher. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted of the most serious offenses, Gallagher said.

Ramirez is accused of shooting a 22-year-old California man twice above the waist about 2:20 a.m. May 29 and leaving the wounded man on Keslinger Road, near Pouley Road, east of Elburn. Ramirez was arrested about a week later, after investigators searched his home on the 1100 block of Sullivan Road and recovered a 9 mm handgun and more than 1,800 grams of marijuana, sheriff's officials have said.

Police haven't publicly addressed a possible motive, nor said how the two men know each other. The victim was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening and was released from the hospital.

Ramirez appears to have no criminal history in Kane County, according to court records. He remained in the county jail Friday with bail set at $5 million; he would have to post $500,000 in cash to be released. His next court date is Aug. 14.