Chicago parolee with burglary convictions shot by woman after Joliet home break-in

A Chicago man on parole from prison who had burglary convictions in Will County was the suspect who broke into a Joliet home and was fatally shot by a woman who had been hiding in a closet with her child, according to authorities.

Shelby Hurd was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound at 3:05 a.m. Saturday in the 7000 block of Hadrian Drive in Joliet, according to a statement Sunday from the Will County Coroner’s Office.

Hurd’s death represents the second homicide in Joliet this year.

Hurd was convicted of committing burglaries in 2022 in Tinley Park and in 2023 in Frankfort, according Will County court records.

Hurd also has convictions of burglary and identity theft in Cook County, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

He was paroled from prison Feb. 24.

“The information we have, and the evidence found at scene indicates that Hurd was at the home to commit a burglary. What his motive was beyond that and why he chose this residence is still under investigation,” Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

The woman who shot Hurd did not know him, English said. The woman and the infant were the only ones in the home at the time of the incident, he said.

Officers first responded to the incident about 10:30 p.m. Friday of a report of a home invasion at a residence in the 7000 block of Hadrian Drive, English said.

Officers found Hurd, who was unresponsive, on the second floor of the residence with a gunshot wound, English said.

Paramedics confirmed he was dead.

A woman was found in an adjacent bedroom with her infant child, English said. She was in possession of a handgun, he said.

“A preliminary investigation indicates the victim and her child hid in a bedroom closet, and she armed herself after hearing someone forcibly enter the home,” English said.

When Hurd entered the bedroom, the woman reportedly fired her gun and [a shot] struck him in the head, English said.

“The suspect was wearing gloves and in possession of a screwdriver at the time of the incident. The suspect was not known to the victim,” English said.

Police vehicles were outside a residence in the 7000 block of Hadrian Drive on Friday night, according to a neighbor who declined to be identified.

The neighbor showed The Herald-News a doorbell camera video showing police squad vehicles outside the residence about 10:50 p.m. Friday. The video also showed officers knocking on the neighbor’s door.

The neighbor said they reviewed the video footage and heard what sounded like multiple gunshots.