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Illinois Valley

Ottawa man to stand trial July 6 for tavern shooting

Redmond faces up to 30 years if convicted of firing non-fatal shot

B.J. Redmond

An Ottawa man will stand trial July 6 for the recent shooting at a downtown Ottawa tavern. The victim remains hospitalized.

B.J. Redmond, 23, appeared Friday in La Salle County Circuit Court and entered not-guilty pleas to three felony counts led by aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.

Both charges are Class X felonies carrying six to 30 years in prison with no possibility of probation.

The battery charge is subject to the state Truth in Sentencing Act, requiring certain felons to serve 85% of their prison time. Redmond also is charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, a Class 4 felony carrying one to three years.

Redmond was ordered detained April 20, making him eligible for speedy trial within 90 days. He will next appear for a motions hearing on June 26.

La Salle County prosecutors had previously disclosed that Ottawa police were dispatched early April 18 to the patio area of the Zeller Inn, where a subject brandished a firearm, fired it, and fled.

The victim sustained a shot to the upper left torso. Prosecutors said multiple witnesses saw Redmond raise what two witnesses described as a small black handgun. A .380-caliber shell casing was recovered at the scene, prosecutors said.

The victim remains hospitalized with what the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office previously described as “serious” injuries. The office declined to issue a condition report or medical update Friday, except to say the victim remains hospitalized.

Tom Collins

Tom Collins

Tom Collins covers criminal justice in La Salle County.