1 Dead Following Home Invasion In St. Charles

ST. CHARLES, IL — A Lindenhurst man faces felony charges following the fatal shooting of a man during a home invasion in St. Charles Monday night.

Panagiotis Koutroumbis, 26, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and two counts of home invasion for the role he played in the incident that led to the shooting death of James Gheradini, 26, of Lindenhurst, authorities said.

At about 7:35 p.m. Monday, Koutroumbis, Gheradini and at least one other person went to an apartment in the 100 block of Walnut Drive and entered the residence through an unlocked sliding glass door, police said.

According to officials, while inside the apartment, they used zip ties to bind the hands of several people before demanding items from them. Authorities say an open line call was then placed to a 25-year-old St. Charles man from the cell phone of a resident inside the apartment.

The St. Charles man went to the apartment and when he arrived, he was confronted by one of the armed men and was shot, according to a news release from the St. Charles Police Department.

The St. Charles man, who was also armed, fired back, hitting Gheradini in the chest.

Officials said when officers responded to a shots fired report at the address, they found Koutroumbis dragging the wounded Gheradini out of the apartment. Gheradini was taken to Delnor Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The 25-year-old St. Charles man was driven to Delnor Hospital and is in stable condition, authorities said.

Meanwhile, Koutroumbis remains behind bars. His bail has been set at $1.5 million, and he is next expected in court on Jan. 20.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the shooting and believe additional suspects may have fled before police arrived. It is also believed that this was an isolated and targeted attack on the occupants of this apartment and that there is no threat to the public at this time.