New details emerge as Illinois man charged with hate crime for shooting neighbor
An Illinois man was arrested and charged on Wednesday with attempted first-degree murder and a hate crime after he allegedly shot and injured a neighbor in an incident that "appears to be racially motivated," according to the Will County Sheriff's Office (WCSO).
John P. Shadbar, 70, of Lockport Township, was arrested on Wednesday and was booked on four charges, including attempted-first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Shadbar, who is being held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility, appeared in court on Thursday afternoon where a judge denied him pre-trial release, declaring in court documents, obtained by ABC News, that his release on bond would pose "a specific, real and present threat to the safety of any person or persons or the community."
Shadbar on Thursday was charged with eight felonies, including first-degree attempted murder, a hate crime, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, invalid possession of a weapon, and three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. It is unclear if Shadbar has retained an attorney.
According to the court documents, the shooting victim is 45-year-old Melissa Robertson, a white woman who has been harassed and threatened for years by Shadbar, along with her children, for having a Black partner.
Court documents also say that there have been ongoing tensions between Robertson and Shadbar for years, with the suspect allegedly directing racial slurs at Robertson and her children and threatening their lives by firing blank rounds from his gun and saying he was going to kill them.
According court documents, witness Emily Tashaski – a friend of Robertson’s who said that she had witnessed Shadbar harassing her friend in the past – Tashaski and her 3-year-old son were in Melissa's backyard on the day of the shooting with Melissa and her 8-year-old son when Shadbar began “revving his motorcycle engine,” to which Melissa replied by blowing an air horn in his direction. He then said "there's gonna be dead n------ today” and threw a drink bottle over the fence.
Tashaski said that she became frightened and took the two children inside the house, according to the court documents. As she walked back outside to join Melissa, Tashaski “began to hear gunshots but they sounded different from the usual blank rounds,” court documents further stated.
“Melissa walked toward Defendant thinking he was shooting blanks. Emily heard gunshots and saw Melissa fall to the ground. Emily opened the door and Melissa crawled on all fours into the house and began moaning. Emily saw Victim Melissa was shot and called 911," the court documents say.
According to the WCSO, sheriff's deputies responded to the area of 144th Place and Rickerman Road in Unincorporated Lockport Township, just southwest of Chicago, at 5:37 PM local time on Tuesday in response to a complaint of shots fired.
"Witnesses to the incident advised 911 that the offender, John Shadbar, shot the victim outside and was walking around his property with a rifle," WSCO said in a statement announcing Shadbar's arrest. "A reverse 911 call was placed to area residents to shelter in place due to this incident. Witnesses stated that Shadbar fired dozens of rounds of ammunition with an assault-style rifle at the victim from different outside locations."
According to the sheriff's office, the suspect barricaded himself inside his residence for a brief time after the shooting and was later convinced by a crisis negotiator to exit his residence "with his hands up."
"While speaking to the crisis negotiator, Shadbar made several incriminating statements," according to a WCSO statement.
"Detectives are confident that additional charges will be filed regarding this case, as this incident appears to be racially motivated," the statement continued.
According to law enforcement, deputies provided aid to the victim and she was then transported to a local hospital "in critical condition," where she underwent surgery for her injuries, which included a gunshot wound to her chest that exited her back, and a gunshot wound to her hand.
At the time of the shooting, Robertson was recording Shadbar on her phone, which is now in evidence awaiting analysis, according to prosecutors.
According to court documents, Robertson had been harassed by Shadbar in the past. During one incident Shadbar allegedly yelled “n----- lover” at Robertson and “threw an M-80-type firework” over her fence. A police report was filed about this previous incident, a copy of which ABC News has requested from the Will County Sheriff’s Office.
Robertson's family members spoke with ABC Chicago station WLS, saying Thursday that Robertson remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
"We were all very shocked when this happened, but honestly, sadly, we are not surprised. This has been nine years and coming." Robertson's aunt, Jeanne Beyer, told WLS.
Mikeal Johnson, Robertsons' 19-year-old stepson who has also been harassed by Shadbar, according to court documents, told WLS that he wishes he “could have been there for my family when they needed me the most.”
"We've called the cops. He's thrown fireworks and he's shot blanks. Nothing was done. And it's very unfortunate," Johnson added.
Detectives and investigators obtained video evidence of the shooting and are working to recover additional evidence pending a search warrant for the suspect's residence, according to WCSO, and will provide additional details as the investigation progresses.
Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley thanked the "heroes" from the sheriff's office, the Lockport Police Department, and Lockport Township Fire Protection, who responded to the scene.
"They put themselves in harm's way, knowing that there was an armed individual in the area with the ability to shoot at them from a long distance," Kelley said in a statement on Wednesday.
"[They] collaborated and worked together to ensure that the victim could be stabilized and transported out of harm's way. This is a prime example on how teamwork and training are important aspects of this job," Kelley added.
ABC News reached out to WCSO for additional information and inquired about the potential release of surveillance video evidence in this case, but those requests were not immediately answered.
