An Illinois man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after allegedly shooting his neighbor multiple times. Authorities say the incident was racially motivated.
Deputies were called to an area in Lockport Township on Tuesday around 5:37 p.m. for a report of shots fired. Responding officers were told the victim, a 45-year-old woman, had been shot by her neighbor, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook news release.
Witnesses identified the gunman as John P. Shadover and said he was “shooting victims outside and walking around the property with a rifle,” authorities said. The suspect allegedly fired dozens of shots at the woman “from various locations outside.”
The shooting was captured on video from a nearby security camera. The sheriff’s office said it believes it was racially motivated.
Police officers performed life-saving measures on the woman and she was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Authorities said she was shot in her chest and hand and underwent surgery. She is currently recovering, according to the sheriff’s office.
The victim was identified by her family as Melissa Robertson. Her family told NBC Chicago that they have been harassed by Mr. Shadvar since they moved in 10 years ago. Robertson is white and her sons are black.
Michael Johnson, one of Robertson’s sons, told the news station that during one incident, Shadvar yelled slurs such as “dead, words, words, lovers.” It is said that
”[He] Johnson “said the n-word directly to my face. My mother made him apologize. A few days later, he came out in his underwear with a gun.”
Shadvar also sometimes fired guns in his yard and threw fireworks at houses, his family said.
During Tuesday’s incident, Robertson was screaming “die” and trying to get into the backyard of the home, Robertson’s aunt, Jeanne Beyer, told NBC Chicago. Robertson’s 8-year-old son witnessed the shooting, family members said.
The authorities said: Shadvar, 70, barricaded himself in his home after the shooting. After speaking with him on the phone, crisis negotiators persuaded him to raise his hands and leave, according to a news release.
Deputies said Mr. Shadvar made “several incriminating statements” during his conversations with crisis negotiators.
He was transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility and charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and a hate crime. The sheriff’s office said additional charges are possible.
The family said they contacted authorities multiple times over the years about the alleged harassment, but nothing was done. NBC News contacted the Will County Sheriff’s Office.
“This never needed to happen. Not only our lives, but his and his wife’s lives and the lives of our neighbors are all affected,” Johnson told NBC Chicago. Ta.
Shadvar appeared in court Thursday but was denied pretrial release.
