Two 17-year-olds charged with attempted murder in Aurora shooting

Two 17-year-olds from Aurora have been charged in a drive-by shooting Monday night on the city's east side in which two 18-year-olds were injured, including one who was hit in the face with shotgun spray, according to police and court records.

Richard M. Bennett, 17, of the 1700 block of Hazelnut Lane, is charged with being the triggerman. He is being held at the Kane County Youth Home on $1 million bail.

Aurora police do not identify juveniles even if they are charged as adults; Bennett's information was contained in Kane County court records. Information about the identity of the other 17-year-old who was arrested was not available.

Bennett is charged as an adult with attempted murder that has a top term of 30 years in prison, records show.

Both Bennett and the driver are charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and four counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

According to police, the charges stem from a drive-by shooting about 9 p.m. on the 100 block of North Loucks Street.

The two are accused of driving by a group of men who were standing in front of a house, and Bennett is accused of firing a shotgun that struck a victim in the face.

After driving down the road a short distance, the pair turned around, approached the group again and fired a second time, hitting the other victim in the back, police said.

None of the injuries were life-threatening. Paramedics drove one man to an Aurora hospital and the other declined treatment, police said.

A responding officer saw the vehicle near Rural and Adams streets, and with help from fellow officers, stopped the vehicle at High and Liberty streets where the two suspects were arrested without incident, police said. In the subsequent investigation, detectives recovered a shotgun from a house on the 700 block of Hankes Avenue; police say the shooting motive was a personal dispute.

Bennett is next due in court Sept. 20.

If he posts $100,000 bond to be released from the youth home, he is to have no contact with the two victims and no entry to a residence on the 100 block of North Loucks Street, court records show.