McHenry man accused of firing gun to ‘scare’ woman faces new charge he shot at ‘busy’ road

A McHenry man in custody since the night of May 25 after allegedly shooting a gun inside a home near two women faces new weapons charges, court records show.

Authorities said Raymond V. Kanarowski, 77, also shot off a gun earlier the same day in his yard and in the direction of a “busy thoroughfare.”

The new charges against Kanarowski are two counts of reckless discharge of a firearm, court records show. The original charges filed Sunday are two Class X felony counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated use of a weapon, aggravated assault, domestic battery and attempted aggravated use of a weapon, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court.

According to the newer complaint, at 3 p.m. May 25, Kanarowski “knowingly and unlawfully fired a handgun” while in the yard of a home with the same address listed as his residence in court and jail records.

“The direction of the gunshot was to the north and toward River [Road], a busy thoroughfare. The area in which the projectile impacted contained landscaping bricks, concrete, metal fencing/poles and other hazards, which could cause a ricochet. The discharge of the firearm also occurred in a residential area,” according to the complaint.

About five hours later, authorities allege, Kanarowski fired a 9-mm Glock handgun behind a woman and “fired off numerous rounds with the intent to scare” her while in a McHenry home, local police said.

Police responded at 8:20 p.m. to the home for a reported “domestic dispute during which a handgun was fired,” according to a McHenry Police Department news release, which said officers arrived and determined that Kanarowski was involved in a dispute with two people.

“During the dispute, Kanarowski displayed a handgun and fired several rounds,” according to the release. “He was taken into custody at the scene without incident.”

Police said no injuries were reported.

Kanarowski first appeared May 26 before Judge Mark Facchini, who appointed the public defender’s office to represent Kanarowski. Facchini also ruled that Kanarowski be detained in the county jail pretrial, according to an order.

Facchini wrote in the order that Kanarowski is a danger to the people involved in the incident and the community, saying that he entered a woman’s home with a loaded firearm, pointed it at two women inside and “discharged that firearm multiple times, ... held the loaded gun to [one woman’s] head, [and] threatened to ‘blow her brains out.’”