James Piezonka caused a shooting on Route 21 in Lakemoor on March 2 that resulted in the death of his son.

The shooting along Route 21 earlier this month resulted in the tragic death of Ryan Piezonka (31). James has been charged with first degree murder, aggravated domestic battery and felon in possession of a firearm following the shooting.

This incident came as a shock, as no one in the small suburb expected anything like this to happen.

At around 1:24 p.m. on March 2, police responded to the area of Route 120 and Darrell Road due to a report of a shooting made by a 911 caller as they heard gunshots fired, leaving a man in the roadway.

That man was later identified as James’ son Ryan.

Ryan was shot at by his father five times, and at the scene he was found unconscious.

Ryan was then transferred to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry where he later died due to his injuries.

McHenry County has a significantly lower overall crime rate than the national average. McHenry County ranks in the 98 percentile meaning it is safer than 98% of other counties.

So naturally, this tragedy comes as a shock to McHenry residents as things like this don’t happen often.

Ellyana Vogt, McHenry County resident and junior at MCHS, thinks that violence like this needs to be addressed immediately.

“Violence should be addressed immediately so more things like this don’t happen, and our community stays safe,” says Vogt.

Although McHenry is considered a safe county, there may still be things McHenry can do to prevent things like this from happening in the future.

“Including more gun control in McHenry can help keep it safe,” says Vogt. “Addressing this issue immediately can hold wrongdoers fully responsible.”