Stock Island woman arrested for firing gun

A Stock Island woman was arrested Sunday night after she fired five shots from a handgun from the porch of her residence.

When Deputy Spencer Curry arrived at the apartment at 6630 Maloney Avenue at 11:40 p.m. he found the suspect, 58 year old Beverly Richards, still on the scene. Her roommate was also there.

Richards admitted to the deputy she had a couple of martinis, and then fired a gun several times. She said she was angry that she would not be able to see her granddaughter on Christmas and it made her feel better to fire the gun. She claimed she was sitting on a boat behind the residence at the time. She said she fired the gun out over the water and away from all the houses on shore.

Her roommate told the deputy Richards was on the porch of the residence at the time she fired it. She said Richards at one point threatened to shoot her with the gun. She said she took the gun away from Richards and put it in the apartment. The gun was recovered; it had been fired five times. Empty bullet casings were found on the porch. It appeared that she fired the gun over the top of several other residences in the area.

Richards was charged with improper exhibition of a firearm, discharging a firearm in public and use of a firearm under the influence of alcohol.