Chicago-area man charged with hate crime after alleged slurs

MONTGOMERY, Ill. – A suburban Chicago man has been charged with a felony hate crime after he allegedly fired an air rifle at his neighbours while shouting racial slurs at them.

The Aurora Beacon-News reports 36-year-old Ryan J. Salsman of the far western suburb of Montgomery was also charged by the Kane County State’s Attorneys’ office with reckless conduct and misdemeanour aggravated assault.

Police said witnesses reported seeing Salsman, who is white, shooting an air rifle toward an African American man and a Hispanic woman who were talking in their driveway July 27. Neither was injured.

Salsman was already in custody on unrelated charges when he was served this week with the felony hate crime warrant. Court records say he’s expected to be represented in the case by a public defender.

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Information from: The Beacon-News, http://beaconnews.chicagotribune.com/