Manhattan Man, 18, Fired A Dozen Shots From Backseat On Joyride With Friends: Police

MANHATTAN, IL — Ring doorbell footage and Flock cameras helped police narrow in on a suspect in a shots fired incident within just hours, according to incident reports.

On June 8, police were called to the area of Brynn and Brett drives around 10:30 p.m. for a report of shots fired. During the investigation and while speaking with witnesses, officers found 16 spent shell casings in the street. No one was struck by the gunfire, police said.

Using images from Ring doorbell footage, police then checked for Flock camera images in the area and found a dark SUV matching the vehicle seen in prior footage. Police checked the license plate, identifying and contacting the owner. The woman told police that she had been asleep, but that her son had her car, police said.

Police later learned that Aiden Valera, 18, fired multiple rounds from the SUV as he rode as a backseat passenger with his friends as they left the subdivision, according to police reports. The group then went to an indoor go-kart racing facility in Mokena.

After speaking with police, Valera's mother said she had been in contact with her son and told him to report to the police department or come home.

According to police, Valera returned and met with police at a friend's home nearby, where officers searched the vehicle and did not find the firearm. Valera admitted to police he'd left it at a friend's home in New Lenox when the friend was dropped off, police said.

Valera reportedly told police he had been out with friends celebrating one's 18th birthday when he fired the gun, which he told police he purchased two months prior because he felt he needed protection when traveling to Chicago.

He erroneously told police the gun was a "Taurus Canik"—mistakenly combining the names of firearm manufacturers, according to police reports.

Police went to the New Lenox home, where the friend's father retrieved the gun and handed it over to authorities, officials said. It was identified as a multi-colored Canik 9mm semi-automatic and contained an inserted magazine with 15 live rounds. Its chamber was empty, according to police reports.

Valera does not have a FOID card or Illinois Concealed Carry License, according to police.

The gun and shell casings were inventoried as evidence and will be sent to the Illinois State Police Forensic Laboratory for further examination and analysis.

Valera was charged with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm.

With Valera reportedly posing no threat to anyone or the community, he was released on his own recognizance into his mother's care and issued a pretrial notice to appear.

He is due in court July 1.