The bond for an Aurora man who shot his neighbor's dog in the head has been set at $100,000, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced Wednesday.
John Fazzini, 61, attended bond court Wednesday morning, where Judge John Kinsella set his bond at $100,000 with 10% to apply.
According to the State's Attorney's Office, Aurora police responded to a call of shots fired in the 300 block of Shadybrook Lane on March 10 at approximately 9 p.m.
Upon arrival, officers said they found 8-year-old German Shepherd Jameson, otherwise known as "Jamo," laying on his front porch, officials said. Jamo had been shot in the right side of his nose with the bullet exiting his left ear.
An investigation found that at approximately 8:45 p.m., Jamo was out for a walk with his family, one of whom was a 10-year-old girl, when they allegedly ran into Fazzini across the street walking his dog.
Fazzini's dog allegedly began to bark, then Jamo "wiggled out of his harness and approached Fazzini and his dog," the SAO said in a release. Jamo then reportedly ran circles around Fazzini and his dog before trotting towards them.
Alledgedly, Jamo was about four to five feet away from Fazzini when he, without warning, pulled out a gun and shot Jamo.
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After being shot, the SAO said Jamo returned to his front porch and Fazzini left the scene after the shooting. Jamo was taken to a local veterinary hospital where he has since been released and is recovering.
The SAO said Fazzini was taken into custody without incident Tuesday afternoon on an active arrest warrant following a traffic stop by Aurora police. He has been charged with one count of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, one count of Reckless Discharge of a Firearm and one count of Criminal Damage to property, all Class 4 Felonies.
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“These allegations are simply unconscionable. This type of conduct will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force of the law. Because of his alleged actions, Mr. Fazzini is now facing three felony charges," the SAO said in a statement.
Fazzini's next court appearance is scheduled for May 4, 2022, for arraignment in front of Judge Kinsella.
“The Aurora Police Department has zero tolerance for anyone recklessly firing a gun in our city,” Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said.
Aurora resident Megan Peterman said Jamo is still in the process of recovering since last month's incident.
“He’s not quite Jamo yet, but he’s still alive,” Peterman said. “He’s still getting back, and his personality comes back a little bit more every day.”
According to his owners, Jamo came near the other dog who was off-leash during the walk and that’s when Zach Zeciroski saw a muzzle flash.
“I still hear the gun shots,” he said. “I still hear the terrible sound of Jamo wailing in pain. I could see the blood. I could see my daughter. I could see her shaking.”
Peterman says that vets told her that the dog was extremely lucky to be alive.
“An inch one way or the other, yeah, he wouldn’t be here,” she said.
The family said they were confused why the other owner would have opened fire, considering that there was distance between the two dogs on the night the shooting occurred.
“We were a good 12 feet across,” Zeciroski said. “We were on opposite sides of the street, and I even stopped to let him get further on down the street. This is a very friendly dog neighborhood.”
Friends and neighbors have been pitching in for a fundraiser to help pay for the dog’s care.
“There’s gonna be follow-up care needed,” Peterman said. “He still needs CT scans to make sure that the bone fragments that are at the base of his skull aren’t going to cause any problems now that the swelling’s down.”