County: Mortar shell killed Johnsburg man

Cook County Sheriff's police say it was a commercially made mortar shell that killed a Johnsburg man on New Year's Day.

The blast killed Robert Freund, 31, of the 4900 block of Country Oaks Drive, said Liane Jackson, a spokeswoman from the department.

Acting Johnsburg Police Chief Keith Von Allmen said the commercial devices are about the size of a large apple, have long fuses and are meant to be lit after they're dropped into a large tube that propels them into the sky. The mortar shells require that the operator have a license, and Freund had no such documentation, Von Allmen said.

The Cook County Bomb Disposal Unit recovered seven such unused explosives from the scene as well as five pounds of smaller fireworks, Jackson said.

Police don't know how many shells Freund launched, but say it was more than one and that they all belonged to Freund. According to a news release, Freund was ringing in the new year with fewer than a dozen family members and conducting a personal fireworks show in his front yard.

“The family had already gone back into the house when they heard the last one go off,” Von Allmen said, adding that a family member went back outside and found Freund's body in the front yard.

Authorities say the blast killed Freund instantly.

Police and the McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded to the call at 12:01 a.m. Freund was pronounced dead on the scene at 12:07 a.m. and an autopsy completed Saturday determined he died of head and chest trauma, Deputy Coroner Robert Locke said. Results of a toxicology test are pending.

Police continue to investigate when and where Freund purchased the fireworks and what he was doing at the time of the accident.

“It's hard to tell for sure because we don't have any direct eyewitnesses,” Von Allman said.

Colonial Funeral Home in McHenry is handling services, which should be finalized Tuesday.