A Naperville-area woman allegedly shot her boyfriend, then video-chatted with a woman he had been dating while the victim bled on the floor in the background, DuPage County prosecutors said Sunday.
Rosa Lagrone, 34, faces attempted murder and other charges. She appeared during Sunday morning’s video bond court call at the DuPage County Jail, sitting in a wheelchair and frequently keeping her face lowered during her hearing.
Lagrone is accused of shooting her boyfriend around 2:15 p.m. Friday during an argument over his relationship with another woman. Lagrone contacted that woman through a video chat feature on social media while her boyfriend was on the floor in the background in what appeared to be a pool of blood, DuPage County Assistant State’s Attorney Mandy Meindl said.
The 27-year-old man was shot once, and the bullet went through his arm and lodged in his spine, Meindl said. The man, who is on a ventilator, remains hospitalized and tests were being conducted Sunday to determine if there was any brain activity. Meindl said charges against Lagrone could be upgraded to murder if her boyfriend does not survive.
On Oct. 30, Lagrone learned that her boyfriend was having a relationship with another woman, prosecutors said. The couple argued over that relationship on Friday and the victim attempted to pack his bags to move out of the townhome in the 25W000 block of Keswick Lane in unincorporated DuPage County near Naperville, Meindl said.
Lagrone told DuPage County sheriff’s investigators that her gun went off accidentally, Meindl said. However, Meindl said Lagrone used her boyfriend’s Facebook page to contact the other woman through a live video chat. The video, which does not include audio, appears to show the victim on the ground in a pool of blood and speaking, Meindl said. The video also shows someone off screen, believed to be Lagrone, kicking the man at least twice, Meindl said.
Lagrone, who has four children ages 14, 13, 10 and 6, called a relative after the shooting and told them to come pick up her children, who were outside in a car, Meindl said.
“You have to come get the kids right now. I’m going to jail for the rest of my life,” Lagrone allegedly told the relative, Meindl said.
The four children heard arguing throughout the day but did not hear a gunshot, Meindl said. Lagrone allegedly put the children in the car as the couple were arguing.
Police recovered the weapon used in the shooting along with one spent shell case and another unspent round, authorities said.
Lagrone is being held on $1.5 million bond and could face life in prison if found guilty of attempted murder. She also is charged with aggravated battery involving a firearm and aggravated domestic battery.
“Just days removed from Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, we are faced with this tragic shooting of a young man near Naperville,” DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said in a news release. “Domestic violence cases are up, in DuPage County, nearly 50 percent over the same period last year and this cannot be tolerated.”
In the same news release, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin pointed to a recent medical article noting that domestic violence cases are on the rise across the country. He urged victims of domestic violence to seek help by calling the Family Shelter Service Of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage at 630-469-5650 or by visiting their website at Family Shelter Service – Metropolitan Family Services.
