Man who asked Riverside police to shoot him faces multiple charges

RIVERSIDE - A Chicago man was was charged with aggravated unlawful use of weapon, defacing of a firearm serial number and two counts of criminal damage to property May 28 following disturbance in Riverside.

Nicholas J. Stiso, 27, of the 5500 block of South Park Avenue, reportedly yelled at police to "shoot me in the head, shoot me in the head” when he was approached at 12:03 a.m. along the Burlington Northern railroad tracks, according to a Riverside Police Department report.

Police were dispatched to the 200 block of East Quincy Street for a disturbance following reports of a man smashing out car windows.

When the first officer arrived, he found a car with its windows smashed. He was flagged down by a person in a vehicle who directed him to where a man was screaming and yelling while standing on the railroad tracks, the report stated.

The officer went to the tracks, saw the man and immediately notified the railroad to shutdown all the railroad traffic. The man was screaming vulgarities and unintelligible rants at the officer, according to the release.

He appeared to be highly intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. Police approached him and asked him to get down on the ground. He continued to ask the officers to shoot him. As the officers walked closer, the man told them that he had a gun. He surrendered and was taken into custody. Police recovered a fully loaded 380 handgun in his possession.

Stiso was transported to McNeal Hospital in Berwyn where he was admitted for further medical treatment. On June 6, he was released back into police custody.

The firearm recovered by police was a Davis Industries P380 handgun. The serial number on the handgun was defaced and not legible. There was one round in the chamber ready to fire when police recovered the handgun, according to the report.

Police discovered four vehicles along the 100 block and 200 block of East Quincy Street that had their windows smashed. All the vehicles were parked in the rear of the property adjacent to the railroad tracks. Damage to these vehicles was extensive.

Stiso had a valid FOID card at the time of his arrest. He did not have a valid concealed carry card. It is unlawful in Illinois to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and be in possession of a firearm. This is a criminal offense police charged him under that violation also.

“My detectives are also working with the state police to attempt to recover the serial number and trace the handgun back to its owner or determine if the handgun has been reported stolen,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in the release. “The handgun has also been submitted to ballistics at the state police for comparison for any unsolved crimes.”

Stiso’s criminal history included weapons offenses, assault and battery. At the time of his arrest in Riverside, he was out on bond for a weapons charge that took place in Berwyn in April, police said.