Larry Burns was driving home from the supermarket in the late summer of 2023 when he halted at a red light near Ottawa’s downtown courthouse. A vehicle pulled up next to his and the passenger greeted him.

Burns testified Tuesday that he recognized the passenger: Anthony Brito. Then, Burns saw a handgun pointed his way.

“I saw (Brito) raise a gun wrapped up in his shirt, like he was trying not to touch it, and he pointed it at my face and pulled the trigger,” Burns testified.

The gun appeared to jam or misfire, however, and when the light turned green, Burns immediately headed south on Route 23. Burns heard additional popping sounds behind him. A bullet pierced the windshield above Burns’ steering wheel. Later, Burns found more bullet holes in the car.

“I’m being shot at. This is real. I need to call police,” Burns said he remembered thinking. He added later, “Yeah, I was scared.”

Brito, 32, of Ottawa is on trial in La Salle County Circuit Court for attempted murder, the most serious of his four charges. He faces a complex sentencing range if convicted of firing at Burns and with a gun that Brito, a felon, wasn’t allowed to have.

During opening statements, prosecutors said Burns wasn’t the only one who witnessed the shooting on Sept. 12, 2023. An off-duty La Salle County corrections officer was driving behind the two vehicles and saw or heard gunfire, as did two women decorating light poles for a homecoming parade.

“This was a case of retaliation and revenge,” said prosecutor Greg Sticka, telling jurors Burns was an informant against Brito in a separate case.

But Brito’s lawyer, Charles Snowden, warned the jury that the case against Brito is shakier than prosecutors have so far portrayed. Snowden said the forensic evidence against Brito isn’t ironclad – “DNA isn’t fool-proof” – and none of the witnesses could reliably claim to have seen Brito squeeze off any rounds.

None that is, except for Burns and Blake Miller, the man driving the SUV in which Brito was riding. (Miller is scheduled to testify later at trial.) Snowden, however, said both witnesses have a history of drug abuse and of lying to police and shouldn’t be taken at face value.

Some of the witnesses called to the stand Tuesday confirmed they didn’t see much.

Burns’ then-girlfriend testified she was on a cell phone talking to her mother and only glanced at the SUV passenger, whom she did not know and would not recognize.

Mike Renner Jr., an off-duty corrections officer, said he saw a black handgun pointed out the window of the SUV but admitted he couldn’t describe the arm, much less see a face.

Renner did see muzzle flashes, however, which could corroborate Burns’ testimony that the gun wasn’t merely pointed at him.

Similarly, two women decorating for a homecoming parade testified hearing “popping noises” – both mistook them for firecrackers – and spied an SUV but couldn’t provide a description of the passenger. One, however, spotted shell casings that were later linked to a 9 mm pistol recovered when Brito was arrested.

It may come down to whether the jury believes Burns’ testimony. Under cross-examination by Snowden, Burns admitted he’s a recovering addict, has a criminal record and has lied to investigators in the past.

But when Snowden questioned whether it was Brito who aimed and fired, Burns stood firm.

“I knew exactly who it was the whole time,” Burns replied. “I knew exactly who it was the whole time and I’ve never faltered on that.”

The trial resumes Wednesday.