Bail posted for 3 men charged after DeKalb woman struck by stray bullet while in living room

DeKALB – Three men recently posted bail amid charges they’re facing after police said the trio was shooting guns near a residence in rural DeKalb when a bullet went into a nearby home and struck a woman sitting in her living room.

The victim was injured after a bullet went through her nearby home June 29 and struck her in the foot, according to DeKalb County court records. She was sitting on the couch at the time when a bullet entered the west wall, striking her in the heel and lodging itself in her right foot, records show.

Jerry G. Fabbri, 51, of the 800 block of Shepherd Lane in Elburn; Alexander G. Fabbri, 19, of the 600 block of Sheffield Circle in Sugar Grove; and Benedict C.H. Groppe, 38, from Rupperswil, Switzerland, are all charged with reckless conduct, a Class 4 felony.

If convicted, the trio could face up to three years in jail. Records show the men posted $2,000 bail after being given a $20,000 bond on an arrest warrant by DeKalb County Judge Philip Montgomery July 1. Bail for all three men was posted in cash on July 5, records show.

Deputies with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office were called around 7:44 p.m. after a woman’s family member called police to request medical assistance for a gunshot wound. The woman was taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where X-rays confirmed a bullet was in her foot, court records state.

After an investigation, police identified three men who were later arrested, according to a news release from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

“Through investigation, police learned that all three had been recreational shooting multiple firearms at a target that was in the general direction of the victim’s home,” according to the release.

Police determined that the three men hadn’t followed proper safety procedures when shooting the guns, and that’s why a round struck the home to the west, according to the release.

According to court records, the trio were allegedly taking turns shooting bullets from “a variety of six guns” records state, in the 15000 block of Keslinger Road. The guns are legally owned by Jerry Fabbri, who has a valid FOID card, court records show.

The men were shooting at a wooden pallet toward the east, with no backup or safety berm behind it to stop any rounds, records state. They allegedly fired the weapons in the direction of the roadway, though there were homes on the south side.

The three men turned themselves in to police July 1 after police presented them with arrest warrants.

All three men are expected back in court for a status hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 8.