Former Lake Villa Township man guilty of recklessly shooting neighbor
A former Lake Villa Township man was found guilty Monday of recklessly shooting a neighbor while showing off his handguns last year, but he avoided conviction on a more serious charge that could have put him behind bars for up to 30 years.
Frank Geu, 45, previously of the 36000 block of North Alice Drive, now faces 1 to 3 years in prison stemming from the Sept. 13, 2013, shooting of neighbor Jeff Johnson. Probation also is possible for the Spring Grove resident, who testified Monday that the shooting was an accident.
Geu, who lived in unincorporated Venetian Village the night of the shooting, was drinking rum and cokes inside the victim's garage when the two began talking about guns, authorities said. Geu went home during a lull in the conversation, authorities said, but returned showing off two semiautomatic handguns.
Geu handed the guns to Johnson, authorities said, who unloaded the weapons for inspection. After Johnson returned the unloaded guns to Geu, authorities said he reloaded one weapon, pointed it at the victim and pulled the trigger.
Johnson was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he had surgery. Authorities said the bullet went through him, damaging his ribs, lung and spleen.
Geu testified Monday before Judge George Strickland that he reloaded the weapon because he always left the clip of ammunition inside the gun in his home. He said the gun was purchased in 2013 for protection.
"I accidentally hit the trigger instead of putting my finger on the trigger guard," Geu said. "I wanted to see if he was OK, but (Johnson) told me to go home."
Geu said he went home and put the guns away but returned moments later to check on Johnson.
"I felt perfectly horrible," he testified. "I ran back over to the house and I opened the door to see how he was. ... There was a lot of chaos and they told me to get out."
About 15 minutes later, Geu said, police surrounded his house and called him out with a bullhorn. He turned himself in and was charged.
Geu said he was friendly with his former neighbors before the shooting, and he didn't intentionally fire the weapon at Johnson.
He is scheduled to be sentenced by Strickland Oct. 24.
Although convicted of reckless discharge of a firearm, Strickland acquitted Geu of the more serious offense of aggravated battery with a firearm, which carries a mandatory prison term of six to 30 years. He also was acquitted of a second count reckless discharge and a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm.
The case's prosecutor, Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Scott Hoffert, declined to comment after the verdict.