Shots Fired In Niles Lead To Teen's Arrest

NILES, IL — A Des Plaines man was charged with two firearm felonies nearly a week after he allegedly fired a gun in the air three times in Niles. Nico C. Campus, 19, of the 10000 block of Linda Lane in Des Plaines, was arrested at his home Wednesday, according to police. Niles police said he admitting to shooting three bullets in the 7200 block of Greenleaf Avenue just before 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 17.

Video captured by a home security system of a nearby resident showed a light-colored car pulling onto Greenleaf from Harlem Avenue and stop in the road, according to police.

Police said the driver of the vehicle first fired a single gunshot into the air as a passenger got out of the car and walked down the street. As the car continued to drive west on Greenleaf, the driver fired two more shots from a semi-automatic handgun, according a police account of the resident's surveillance video. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Niles — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Responding police were not immediately able to locate the vehicle or the passenger, but investigators processed the scene and spoke to neighbors, police said.

According to Niles Police Cmdr. Robert Tornabene, detectives first identified Campus as a person of interest before proceeding to conduct surveillance near his home to gather more information before arresting him. He was arrested without incident, and no firearm was immediately recovered, Tornabene said.

Campus was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, both are class 4 felonies which carry a maximum penalties of six years in prison and $50,000 in fines, if convicted on both counts.

According to the Cook County Sheriff's office, Campus was being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond at Cook County Jail with his next court appearance scheduled for Sept. 19 in Skokie.

_{Top photo Nico C. Campus | Niles PD}