Construction worker charged with firing gun during fight at Niles work site

William L. Burns / photo from Niles police

(NILES) A Chicago man faces a felony charge after firing a gun when a fight over money broke out at a north suburban construction site Saturday, police said.

About 11:45 a.m., officers were called to the site at 6450 W.Touhy Ave. in Niles, where a construction worker said a co-worker had fired a gun at him, according to Niles police.

Michael A.Sciortino, 34, had gotten into a fight with his 60-year-old father over money he was owed from working, a statement from police said.

Michael A. Sciortino / photo from Niles police

William L. Burns, a 58-year-old with a valid concealed carry permit, saw the fight going on as he was operating a construction vehicle, pulled his Smith & Wesson 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired a single round, according to the statement.

Police said they weren’t sure if Burns fired a round into the air or if he shot in the direction of Sciortino and his father. No one was struck, but police said Sciortino had battered his father before the gun went off.

Burns, of the 5200 block of South Paulina, was charged with one felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm, police said. Sciortino, of the 500 block of West 27th Street, faces a misdemeanor domestic battery charge.

Both were jailed at the Niles Police Department pending a bond hearing Monday.