Second man charged in deadly home invasion in Chicago's western suburbs
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A second man has been charged in a deadly home invasion in January in west suburban St. Charles.
Jose Melendez was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a home invasion on Jan. 14 in the 100 block of Walnut Drive.
Police said, around 7:40 p.m., officers responded to a call of shots fired inside an apartment. When they arrived, the found 26-year-old Panagiotis Koutroumbis was dragging 26-year-old James Gherardini out of the apartment. Gherardini had been shot in the chest, and was taken to Northwestern Medicine Delnore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined that Gherardini, Koutroumbis, and Melendez had broken into the apartment through an unlocked sliding glass door. Once inside, they tied up several people inside using zip ties, and demanded their belongings.
A 25-year-old man who had received a call from one of the people in the apartment went inside, and confronted the home invaders, one of whom shot at him, police said. The man returned fire.
Police said the 25-year-old man was shot in the abdomen, and was taken to the hospital before police arrived.
Gherardini was shot in the chest during the shootout.
Police arrested Koutroumbis at the scene, and he was charged with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of home invasion, two counts of aggravated unlawful restraint, one count of armed robbery, and one count of armed violence.
Melendez fled the scene before police arrived, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was captured on Wednesday.
He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of home invasion, one count of aggravated unlawful restraint, one count of unlawful restraint, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, one count of armed robbery, one count of armed violence, and one count of felony possession of a weapon.
