Illinois man who allegedly shot neighbor, a white woman with Black sons, charged with hate crime
An Illinois man is facing hate crime charges after allegedly shooting his white neighbor, who has Black sons, in what appears to be a racially motivated incident.
The incident occurred on Tuesday (May 7) in Lockport Township, prompting a response from Will County Sheriff's Office deputies. Witnesses reported that John P. Shadbar, the suspected shooter, fired numerous shots at the 45-year-old woman from various outdoor locations. She sustained critical injuries after being shot in the chest and hand, though she is currently recovering, according to the sheriff's office.
Identified as Melissa Robertson by her family, the victim had reportedly endured harassment from Shadbar over the past decade since they moved into the neighborhood. Mikeal Johnson, one of Robertson's sons, recounted instances where Shadbar hurled racial slurs like "dead n-words, n-word this, n-word lover," and even directed the slur at Johnson directly. Despite Robertson's efforts to address the situation, including making Shadbar apologize, the harassment persisted.
Further aggravating the situation, Shadbar allegedly engaged in threatening behavior such as shooting his gun in the yard and setting off fireworks near their homes. On the day of the shooting, witnesses heard him yell racial slurs while attempting to access the family's backyard. After the shooting, he barricaded himself inside his home until a crisis negotiator persuaded him to surrender.
During negotiations, Shadbar reportedly made incriminating statements, leading to charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and a hate crime. At a court appearance on Thursday (May 9), he was denied pretrial release.
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