Steven Spurling ,president of the St. Charles School Board

Quick action by St. Charles School Board President Steven Spurling prevented injuries or worse in a shooting incident that grew out of a domestic dispute on Tuesday.

As a result, a St. Charles man has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated battery and other offenses.

According to police and other reports, 65-year-old Scott J. Turyna, was taken into custody in connection with a domestic incident that included shots being fired.

Police said Turyna was having an argument with his wife over financial matters on Tuesday evening when he threatened to kill her and moved aggressively toward her.

“She picked up the phone to call police, and Turyna knocked it out of her hands,” the report said. “He pushed her down on the kitchen floor, sat across her chest, and started punching her about the head and upper body area. He let her up and walked toward a cabinet, where his wife knew a handgun was stored. She ran out of the garage and crawled under the garage door as it was opening.”

Spurling and his wife, Diane, out for an evening walk, saw the victim roll out of the garage, and they saw obvious injuries. Police said the couple helped the victim up and started to walk her away, when Turyna came out and tried to explain that she just fell.

Diane Spurling started walking with the victim to get her way. Police said Turyna walked after them and produced a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber five-shot revolver and began firing in the direction of the two women. Steve Spurling then tackled Turyna, took the handgun away, and threw it away from the area. He held the offender until police arrived.

The weapon was recovered and contained five spent shell casings, police said.

The victim then ran to a house in the 500 block of Steeplechase Road, screaming that she needed help.

A teenage resident, seeing the injured woman, let her in. Evidence technicians found that a bullet had gone through the siding of that particular house, passed through the living room and was found in the dining room. The juvenile had been in a family room about 30 feet from where the bullet was found. The juvenile was not injured.

The victim was transported to Delnor Hospital with extensive injuries, The St. Charles Police Department does not have any history of domestic related calls at this residence, the report said.

Investigators executed a search warrant on the Turyna residence in 400 block Hunt Club Drive, where they recovered 26 firearms and about 3,000 rounds of ammunition. Turyna did have a valid Firearm Owner Identification card, the police news release said.