A 79-year-old Illinois man was charged with murder for fatally shooting his neighbor while he was doing yard work earlier this month, authorities said Tuesday.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Ettore Lacchei was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder after he shot his next-door neighbor William Martys, 59, in the head.
Martys was found unresponsive outside his residence in Antioch, Illinois, on April 12, police said. Antioch is about 65 miles northwest of Chicago.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Martys’ residence where paramedics were “already on-scene conducting life-saving measures,” the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Martys was then transported to a local medical center where he was pronounced deceased.
An autopsy from the Lake County Coroner’s Office on April 13 revealed that Martys died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Sheriff’s detectives recovered a firearm that was likely used in the alleged murder near Lacchei’s property line. Lacchei was later arrested on April 25 after a search warrant was conducted.
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Neighbor had ‘perceived grievances’
An investigation into the murder of Martys revealed that Lacchei had “various perceived grievances with Martys,” the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Authorities say Martys was using a leaf blower in his yard when he was approached by Lacchei on April 12. CBS Chicago reported that Lacchei shot Martys because the leaf blower was too noisy.
“Lacchei argued with Martys and during the argument, Lacchei shot Martys in the head,” according to the sheriff’s office..
Authorities also told CBS Chicago that Lacchei had previous confrontations with other neighbors and had been seen with a firearm.
“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of William Martys, who was senselessly murdered,” Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a statement.
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Recent home shooting incidents
The incident follows recent home shooting cases where homeowners have been accused of firing at people near or on their property.
Last week, a 24-year-old man was arrested in connection with the shooting of two adults and a child in North Carolina after the family tried to retrieve their basketball that rolled into the man’s yard.
On April 15, a 20-year-old woman was fatally shot by a 65-year-old homeowner after the car she was riding in turned into the wrong driveway while looking for a friend’s house in upstate New York. Days earlier, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot and wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, when he went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.
Contributing: Grace Hauck and N’dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY