Lockport Township man charged in shooting of his neighbor

A Lockport Township man has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting of a Lockport Township woman Tuesday.

John P. Shadbar, 70, of Lockport Township was charged Wednesday with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Shadbar allegedly shot a 45-year-old woman who is a neighbor of his in the Lockport Heights neighborhood just outside the Lockport city limits off Smith Road and IL Route 171 (Archer Avenue).

The incident occurred sometime about 5:47 p.m. when sheriff’s police responded to call of shots fired on West 144th Place.

Witnesses to the incident said on the 911 call the offender shot the victim outside and was walking around his property with a rifle, according to the sheriff’s office.

Witnesses said 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.

A shelter in place order was issued at 6:16 p.m. Tuesday for Lockport residents as police cordoned off an area in the neighborhood.

When deputies arrived on scene, they secured the area and began to provide life-saving measures to the victim. The victim was taken to a local area hospital in critical condition. She suffered a gunshot wound to her chest, which exited her back, according to the sheriff’s office.

The victim has since undergone surgery for her injuries and is recovering, according to the sheriff’s office.

The suspect entered his residence for a brief time and barricaded himself inside, according to the sheriff’s office.

Both Will County sheriff’s deputies and Lockport police units were at the scene and blocked off West 145th Place from Rickerman Road to South 136th Avenue. Officers and police cars blocked off the entrances to that area of the street on both sides.

A crisis negotiator with the sheriff’s office spoke to Shadbar over the phone and convinced him to exit his residence with his hands up, according to the sheriff’s office.

The shelter in place order was lifted by 7:04 p.m.

The suspect eventually exited his residence and was taken into custody by sheriff’s officers without incident and was taken in for questioning, according to the sheriff’s office. Police report that Shadbar said nothing during his interrogation, however, during the conversation with the negotiator, he allegedly made multiple incriminating statements.

Following Shadbar’s arrest Tuesday night, detectives and Crime Scene Investigators were able to obtain video evidence of the shooting from area residents’ surveillance cameras. Personnel from the sheriff’s office are awaiting the execution of a search warrant of Shadbar’s residence to recover the alleged firearm used in this shooting and additional evidence related to the incident.

The investigation is ongoing and detectives said they are “confident” that additional charges will be filed regarding this case, as they believe the incident was racially motivated, according to the sheriff’s office.

Shadbar has been transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, awaiting his next court appearance.

Following the announcement of the charges, Sheriff Mike Kelley issued a thanks to everyone who responded to the scene.

“The personnel that responded to this scene are heroes,” Kelley said in a statement. “They put themselves in harms way, knowing that there was an armed individual in the area with the ability to shoot at them from a long distance. Deputies from the Will County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Lockport Police Department, and Lockport Township Fire personnel collaborated and worked together to ensure that the victim could be stabilized and transported out of harms way. This is a prime example on how teamwork and training are important aspect of this job. Responding personnel contained the situation, helped to evacuate the injured, and took the offender in custody without any further injury or incident. This was a job well done.”