Man Shoots Gun Into Air to Scare Kids At Park: Cops

OAK LAWN, IL -- A 19-year-old man was arrested after he shot off a gun in a park to scare some kids that were picking on his nephew, prosecutors said.

Waleed Assad, of Hickory Hills, appeared before Cook County Judge Donald Havis on a felony charge of reckless discharge of a firearm. He was also charged with possession of alcohol by a minor and drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors.

Police responded to a shots fired call around 8:52 p.m. May 20 at Memorial Park “Rocket Slide” Park, at 102nd Street and McVicker Avenue, in Oak Lawn. The prosecutor said Assad received a text from his nephew saying he was fighting with some kids. Assad allegedly brought a gun to the park, which he fired three times into the air.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Assad never intended to shoot anybody.

“This is a public safety issue,” Judge Havis said. “That’s how people get shot.”

Assad was released on a $10,000 I-bond. His next court date is June 21 in Bridgeview.