Crime scene tape and several sirens could be seen last Tuesday night outside of RMC Cinemas in Waterloo, with police confirming an altercation took place in the parking lot at 113 Plaza Drive.

Charges were filed Thursday against a Waterloo man for shooting and injuring another man in the incident. 

Brenndan M. Pietlukiewicz, 21, of Waterloo, was charged in Monroe County Circuit Court with aggravated battery/discharge firearm, a Class X felony, and aggravated discharge of a firearm (occupied vehicle), a Class 1 felony, for his role in the incident.

Court information alleges that “while committing a battery to Kyle Johnson,” Pietlukiewicz discharged a firearm into Johnson’s leg.  

The WPD said it responded to the cinema following a report of shots fired.

Upon arrival, a 20-year-old male, identified as Johnson, was located in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his leg. An officer applied a tourniquet above the wound, and Johnson was later transported by ambulance to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and Valmeyer Police Department assisted in responding to the shooting.

Pietlukiewicz turned himself in at the Waterloo police station a short time later, where he was taken into custody. The firearm utilized in this incident was subsequently recovered, police said.

During a pretrial detention hearing Friday afternoon, Monroe County Assistant State’s Attorney Marcus Wade argued Pietlukiewicz poses a threat to the community due to the nature of the offense and his access to weapons, citing exhibits submitted as evidence showing social media postings of Pietlukiewicz with a number of weapons – including assault-style rifles.

Wade also claimed Pietlukiewicz left the theater with the intent to retrieve the pistol used in the incident, adding he should not have a pistol, as he does not have a valid FOID card. 

Attorney Benjamin Grohmann, serving as public defender for Pietlukiewicz, claimed his client left the theater to get his girlfriend’s charge card from a vehicle to purchase concessions.

He also claimed Johnson assaulted Pietlukiewicz in the theater, alleging Johnson initiated a second confrontation in the theater parking lot about 30 minutes later which resulted in the shooting. 

As part of his argument for pretrial release, Grohmann also noted Pietlukiewicz does not have a prior criminal record, adding that electronic monitoring could be an acceptable release condition.

Conversely, Grohmann outlined Johnson’s recent criminal history. Johnson has been charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors this year as well as felony charges from a 2024 incident, many of which involve Pietlukiewicz’s current girlfriend – Johnson’s ex-girlfriend.

Earlier this year, Johnson was charged with two counts of electronic harassment (threatening to kill) involving Pietlukiewicz’s girlfriend in addition to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for threatening a male victim with a knife during the same incident.

Those charges were dismissed in May as part of a plea deal for charges stemming from a 2024 incident – also involving Pietlukiewicz’s girlfriend – during which Johnson was charged with aggravated battery (strangulation) and unlawful restraint in addition to aggravated battery of a police officer and aggravated fleeing.

The two aggravated battery charges and unlawful restraint charges in the 2024 incident were also dismissed as part of the May deal in exchange for a guilty plea to the aggravated fleeing charge. 

Johnson was sentenced to 142 days in Monroe County Jail with credit given for time served and was required to obtain an alcohol/substance abuse and mental health evaluation and treatment.

Given Johnson’s history and penchant for violence, Grohmann claimed Pietlukiewicz was acting in self defense.

Monroe County Resident Judge Chris Hitzemann found that Pietlukiewicz did present a real threat to Johnson and ordered him to be detained at the Monroe County Jail pending a trial in the matter.

As part of his rationale, Hitzemann noted the crime had been conducted with a handgun against the unarmed Johnson. Along these same lines, he suggested that previously mentioned social media posts showing Pietlukiewicz with semi-automatic weapons with extended magazines contributed to the possibility of him being a potential threat.

Hitzemann further pointed to Pietlukiewicz’s calm demeanor in the video of the incident, seeming to suggest the crime was premeditated.

No further court dates in the matter have been scheduled as of press time.