Cops: Woman shot in Minooka

MINOOKA – A night of revelry turned into tragedy early Thursday morning at a residence in the 100 block of South Wabena Avenue in Minooka.

Police said Devante Wandick, 28, accidentally dropped a loaded firearm while intoxicated and the gun went off, striking his 20-year-old girlfriend in the shoulder. The woman was taken to Morris Hospital and then airlifted to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, where she is in stable condition. Wandick was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and taken to Grundy County Jail.

Minooka Police Chief Justin Meyer said that the Minooka Police Department received a call at 12:20 a.m. Thursday for a report of shots fired in the 100 block of South Wabena Avenue. When police arrived, the victim was on the porch outside the house with a gunshot wound to her shoulder. Investigators said that Wandick was intoxicated and mishandled the firearm, causing it to discharge and strike the girlfriend.

Meyer also said the couple’s 5-month-old daughter was in the room when the gun, a 9 mm Sigsauer, went off. Meyer said that Wandick has a valid firearm owner’s identification card and had recently bought the gun.

“This is a case where it shows that alcohol and firearms are not a good mix,” Meyer said.