Charges Against Morton Grove Man in Connection With Shooting at Mosque
A 51-year-old man was charged with shooting at a mosque he lives near in north suburban Morton Grove, according to authorities.
Police confiscated a “high-velocity air rifle” from the home of David Conrad, who lives just east of the mosque. He was charged with three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of criminal damage to property, all felonies. He’s scheduled for a bond hearing on Monday.
Members of the Morton Grove mosque said someone took several shots with an air rifle Friday night at the building’s outer wall. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, two air rifle shots were fired at the outer brick wall of the Muslim Education Center mosque, 8613 Menard Ave., damaging it.
A guard was working security at the center, where services were underway for Ramadan, when he heard a projectile hit the outside wall of the building at 9:20 p.m., said Morton Grove police Chief Mark Erickson.
“He was walking around outside and he heard this bang and he notified the police,” Erickson said.
No one was hurt and no one inside the center was near a window when the pellet-gun shooting happened, said the chief. It’s not the first time the mosque has been damaged but other incidents went unreported, according to a release from Morton Grove police early Sunday morning.