A Northwest Side man who shot his neighbor twice in less than a year has been sentenced to a decade in prison. John Kastanes, 60, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery by discharging a firearm in connection with the second shooting.
Kastanes’ unusual case began around 3 p.m. on October 10, 2023, when Chicago police responded to calls of a man shot in the 3900 block of North Tripp. Officers found a 69-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to his stomach and arm.
According to an arrest report, Kastanes made an “excited utterance” to police: “It was me. I did it, and I shot him.”
Despite the statement, police released Kastanes, who held a license to carry firearms, pending further investigation. Prosecutors charged him with aggravated battery by discharging a firearm a week later, but the case was dropped in December 2023…