Man Deeply Regrets Firing Gun on New Year's Eve, Cops Say
Man said he was feeling festive and shot of a few rounds to ring in New Year, police say.
Oak Lawn police charged a man with felony reckless discharge of a firearm after a neighbor called 911 saying he had heard gunfire shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, reports said.
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Police arrived to a home in the 9900 block of South Parke Avenue around 12:03 a.m. A neighbor said he had gone outside to start his car around midnight, when he heard a loud popping noise. He saw approximately two to three more muzzle flashes accompanying the loud reports.
Recognizing the sound as gunshots, the neighbor saw an arm disappearing through the door next door and called 911. While speaking to the 911 operator police said the neighbor saw a man come outside the same door and yell, “Happy New Year.”
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As police were searching the area, a man matching the neighbor’s description exited the house where the reported shots were fired. He was ordered to the ground and handcuffed, reports said.
The man identified himself as Paul Blohm Sr., 38, of the 9900 block of South Parke Avenue. Police said that Blohm denied having a handgun but said he had a shotgun inside his garage. Blohm was wearing his pajamas and asked to go into the house to get warm.
Police escorted him into his house and removed the handcuffs. Blohm continued to deny any involvement and told police he had a few beers and was going outside to smoke a cigar, reports said.
Another police officer saw a shell casing lying next to a garbage can. The officer said he opened the garbage can lid and saw three more spent shell casings.
Confronted with the shell casings, Blohm allegedly admitted to firing off a couple of shots.
Police said Blohm granted permission to search his home for the weapon, eventually leading officers to the living room, where an empty, five-shot, .38 Smith and Wesson Special was found inside a Crown Royal bag.
Blohm was arrested and taken to the Oak Lawn police station. He said he had "cleared the area" before firing some rounds into the air and had intended no malice, reports said.
Police said that Blohn admitted to feeling festive after a couple of beers but said he wasn’t intoxicated. He “deeply regretted the situation,” according to the report.
He was charged with a felony had a bond hearing at 26th and California on Jan. 1.
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Police report information is provided by the Oak Lawn Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.
In This article
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Village of Oak Lawn Police Department
9446 Raymond Ave, Oak Lawn, IL -
Lorraine Swanson
Joined Patch Thursday, July 22, 2010
Pat F
11:13 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
Feeling festive after a couple beers?? Thank God he didn't drink a whole 6 pack!! You would've had a shot gun and the pistol going off...but, at what???
nick
12:02 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
Nick S.
To the shooter who had to many beers on New Years Eve, my kids live next door your lucky the bullets didnt go through the roof. Grow up you have kids yourself you wouldnt want your kids getting hurt and i dont either.
Farrell
3:09 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
Firing a weapon outside in his JAM-JAM's on New Years? Did they match his underoos? THAT IDIOT!
To echo Nick's comment, what if a stray bullet found its way into the brain of an innocent child? At least he or she would still have a better brain than this one. How many, I repeat, HOW MANY stories have we read in the Sun Times about these New Years accidents?
This would make a great Lifetime Original Movie:
"The Deeply Regretful New Year Shooter" starring Paul Rudd.
CD
11:16 am on Saturday, January 12, 2013
WTF this is amazing. They forced the guy to the ground while he's taking out the trash in his pajamas? Coerced him into a home search? Charge him with a felony? This is what our suburban police have to do on NYE? This is how they treat our town's citizens?
Meanwhile gangbangers are shooting up the Chuck E. Cheese and idiots are stabbing each other in our hospital parking lot.
Slap him with a fine, or sure maybe it is a felony though I'm sure he didn't know it, but the public shaming and home invasion - geez.
TheUNowen
3:35 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013
the OLPD hed a reasonable suspicion that this S.O.B. was armed and possibly dangerous so they had every right to do as they did CD! P.S. he was not 'taking out the trash' probably going to go smoke a joint or some shit like the dumb ass drunk he is!
what now?
6:39 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
CD your ignorance is blissfully evident...reread the article...no coercion...the guy wasn't taking out garbage...and yes that is all the cops have to do on NYE...taking a gun out of a morons hands is enough...
CD
9:55 am on Monday, January 14, 2013
I'm glad my evident ignorance can give you bliss. At any rate, I can't imagine why someone would agree to a complete house search without being "talked into" it or to avoid negative consequences.
I don't do it myself, and maybe it's unfortunate, but shooting a gun in the air out of festivity is a tradition in most of the world. It may not be advisable, and it may not be legal here, but it doesn't warrant idle law enforcement personnel acting like he's the next mass murderer. This kind of unnecessary police aggression is not something you should be condoning.
TheUNowen
3:38 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013
Are you an idiot!? People are scared now more then ever with all the recent shootings you dumb shit! What if the bullet had gone astray and hit an innocent passerby?! He was drunk! Theres no telling what could've happened! If he were my neighbor I woulda called the police on his sorry ass just as this OL citizen did! P.S. shooting a gun into the air isnt festive, its idiotic and stupid, don't know what fucking cuntry you hail from
Mark Dykstra
1:39 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013
Oak Lawn has to many bored cops with AR-15 rifles and riot gear. They gotta justify all that spending right?
CD
11:36 am on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
I think this article is a litmus test for how alarmist and suburban the reader is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebratory_gunfire
It's a bit dangerous, but still commonplace around the world. In the rare chance a bullet comes down (not at all at firing velocity, mind you) and actually hits a person, yes that would be dangerous, but I don't see any evidence that this happened or that the person was still brandishing a firearm or threatening the police. Like I said, the OLPD could've handled this sternly and seriously without acting like SWAT. I'm not blaming the neighbor for calling the police, I'm blaming the police for using undue force.
TheUNowen
8:42 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
As I stated before the police had every right to do as they did. You have no idea what it is like to be a police officer, responding to the unknown, for all they know this man was potentially dangerous! I think these articles will open the eyes of our ignorantly blind reader
http://www.wusa9.com/video/2066034721001/0/Police-warn-against-celebratory-gunfire-on-New-Years
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/80760140/
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/ruskin-boy-hit-by-celebratory-new-years-gunfire-remains-critical/1208808
Its not just a bit dangerous, its extremely dangerous especially when drunk like this idiot was!
Mark Dykstra
3:01 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
This is still ongoing. Cops now have "suspect" rights , instead of probable cause, to kick in doors, guns drawn, flash light in the eyes, to do whatever they want. Luckily there are still some real cops on the force holding those types back. Thats why I have hope. Sh&ts not going to get any better fools, so take the blinders off.
Id rather 10,000 good citizens with guns than one criminal with. Its simple math. IL needs conceal carry, not only to protect against the influx of city scumbags, but also our soon to be tyrannical gov.
CD
1:17 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013
I'm not sure how shooting into the air is any less dangerous when sober.
As police were searching the area, instead of just knocking on the guy's door, the man exited his house peacefully in his pajamas and identified himself. They put him prone on the ground and cuffed him and he had to ask them to go inside from the freezing weather. He was unarmed to the extent that they had to get him to agree to a full house search in order to find the weapon. Where was the potential danger again?
TheUNowen
2:15 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013
As I have stated before, the police had reasonable suspicion to believe the man was armed, as soon as they determined he wasn't they took him inside if you would reread the article. The man was already outside, it was his fault, who puts their garbage out at midnight in their f***ing pajamas!!! And they found the weapon(s) did they not? As long as the guy complied there should be no problem, but If I do hear he was mistreated in any way, which with the OL police as long as you are respectful and comply, then there should be no trouble!!!