Gunshot victim accused of felony drug, gun possession charges

Published 10:12 am Wednesday, September 17, 2014

An Austin man who was shot in the face in March is charged with drug possession and possessing a gun as a convicted felon.

Gilo Gilo, 22, also faces several drug-related charges for allegedly selling heroin to informants last month.

According to a court complaint, Gilo and his housemate had guests over at the 800 block of Ninth Avenue Southwest the morning of March 31. He was in his room with a 16-year-old when he brought out a handgun and began playing with it. Gilo and the girl were allegedly kissing when he held the gun up to the right side of his face. When the girl tried to push it away, the gun fired, according to the complaint.

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The girl told others in the house about the shooting and several friends took Gilo to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin. Police were called to the residence shortly before noon and interviewed several people.

Law enforcement found a .45 caliber shell casing, 56 grams of marijuana, a 2014 membership receipt and pass card for the Cedar Valley Conservation Club, gun targets, counterfeit money, and some Winchester .45 ammo in Gilo’s room.

Gilo told police on April 9 that he was smoking marijuana in his room when the 16-year-old allegedly appeared in his doorway and fired the gun at him. He told police the gun wasn’t his and denied he had a membership at the CVCC. Gilo couldn’t explain the blood stains on the girl’s clothing when police interviewed her, according to the complaint.

CVCC employees confirmed to police that Gilo had bought his membership in January. In addition, a forensic pathologist determined Gilo’s injury was an “angled near-contact gunshot,” contrary to what Gilo said.

Gilo was previously convicted for third degree assault in 2009. He faces several separate drug-related charges, including selling narcotics in a school zone, after he allegedly made a deal with informants to sell them heroin at a Taco John’s on Aug. 13, according to a court complaint. Gilo allegedly sold .39 grams of heroin on Aug. 13 and .74 grams of heroin at the 500 block of Eighth Street Northeast on Aug. 14.

His next court appearance for the drug-related charges is Oct. 24. He is scheduled for a pretrial for the gun-related charges on Feb. 13.