(CREDIT: Google Maps)

A St. Charles man has been charged with aggravated assault, a Class A misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct in relation to a gun incident that occurred on Halloween night (Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019) at Wal-Mart, 150 Smith Road in St. Charles.

(CREDIT: Google Maps)

Frederick J. Murphy II, 61, of the 1400 block of E. Main St., St. Charles faces those charges after he allegedly pointed a gun at a woman outside the entrance to the store.

According to a Police Department news release, officers responded at about 10:17 p.m. Thursday to a report of an armed subject who pointed a gun at a person.

The victim told police she was approached by a male subject who displayed a black handgun outside the entrance of the store. Police said the victim immediately ran back into the store.

Reports said the man then entered a vehicle, which was parked in a handicapped stall nearby, drove south and exited the lot in an unknown direction. Officers checked the area for the offender and vehicle, but neither was located.

After the incident, St. Charles Police officers and detectives obtained security video surveillance from sources in the area, and on Friday, Nov. 1, a still frame image of the alleged offender was released with a request for the public’s help in identifying the individual.

Shortly thereafter, police said a tip came from a city of St. Charles employee, who told police he had seen a person matching that description at around 8 a.m. Friday at City Hall (St. Charles Municipal Center). The person had been present to make a payment and had entered and exited the Municipal Center without incident.

A review of security camera footage from the Municipal Center showed a person and vehicle that matched the description provided by the victim at the time of the initial report.

With this and other information learned in the investigation, officers and detectives from the St. Charles Police Department went to the suspect’s residence just before 5 p.m. Friday. Murphy was subsequently taken into custody, and a black pellet gun was later recovered.

Murphy was charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. Murphy posted bond and was released pending a court date in the18th Judicial Circuit Court, DuPage County.

The charges against Murphy are not proof of guilt. Murphy is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

FEATURE PHOTO

SOURCE: St. Charles Police Department news releases