An Albany Park man was ordered detained Wednesday after he was charged with shooting his child’s grandmother and a Chicago police officer when he took his longtime partner and their teenage daughter hostage this week.
Daniel Aguirre’s “reign of terror” began Monday morning when he got into an argument with his partner and accused her of poisoning him because his jaw felt numb, prosecutors said during his detention hearing. Aguirre, 42, had been showing signs of paranoia for months.
His partner told him to leave their apartment in the 4600 block of North Springfield Avenue and to leave the keys, prosecutors said. But after handing them over, Aguirre allegedly pushed his partner onto a couch while pointing a gun at her face.
Aguirre’s 14-year-old daughter heard the fight and tried to leave the apartment, but Aguirre punched her in the face and brought her into the living room with his partner, prosecutors said.
The partner’s mother, who lives in the first floor apartment, heard yelling and alerted her other daughter, who lives in the basement. They both went up the rear stairs to check on Aguirre’s partner and their daughter, prosecutors said.
When they knocked on the door to Aguirre’s apartment, he shot through it, prosecutors said. His partner’s mother was struck in the face.
Aguirre’s partner’s sister witnessed the shooting and called 911, prosecutors said. Responding officers managed to pull the wounded woman from the stairwell and get her to an ambulance.
Aguirre’s partner also managed to secretly call 911 from inside the apartment, prosecutors said. Dispatchers heard her pleading with Aguirre to turn off the gas stove burners. When he did, prosecutors said, Aguirre hit the woman with the butt of a knife.
Aguirre opened fire again when a veteran SWAT officer tried to breach the apartment door, prosecutors said. The officer was struck in the lower abdomen.
The conditions of both gunshot victims had been stabilized, prosecutors said.
Eventually, a hostage negotiator was able to convince Aguirre to let his daughter go, prosecutors said. He then surrendered and walked out with his partner in front of him. Police recovered several guns.
Aguirre is now facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated battery, aggravated assault of a peace officer and aggravated unlawful restraint, court records show.
Aguirre’s partner detailed his recent mental health episodes to investigators, noting that he had accused her of cheating and surveilling him since May.
Prosecutors said Aguirre had stopped sleeping and was drinking several energy drinks each day. He had also installed padlocks on the apartment door and was the only person with the keys, they said.
Despite Aguirre’s attorney arguing that he was “experiencing an acute mental health crisis,” Cook County Circuit Judge Rivanda B. Doss ordered him detained.
He was expected to appear for another court hearing Aug. 12.