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Homer Township Shooting Update – Wife is under investigation

The investigation into Monday’s shooting is ongoing and another agency has opened its own. WJOL has learned that the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has launched its own investigation into John Shadbar’s wife.

A person named Wendy Shabar is employed as a corrections sergeant at the Cook County Jail. According to protocol, an internal investigation was launched on Wednesday and Shadbar was stood down pending the outcome of that investigation.

Meanwhile, the Will County Sheriff’s Office has issued another statement, including an update on the location where the incident occurred.

On May 9, 2024, John P. Shadbar, 70, appeared for his arraignment at the Will County Courthouse where he was formally charged with Attempted First Degree Murder, Aggravated Assault, Hate Crime, Criminal Damage to Property and Aggravated Discharge of Firearm, No FOID- card and three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Shadbar is being held in the adult detention center without bail.

Shadbar is charged with those crimes stemming from the May 7 incident at 144th Place in unincorporated Lockport, Homer Township, where Shadbar shot and killed a 45-year-old neighbor. The woman remains in critical condition at Silver Cross Hospital.

As sheriff’s investigators continue their investigation, we would like to share and clarify the following information:

*John Shadbar was arrested for a felony in 1979. His FOID card was revoked at this time.

*Since the incident, a search warrant has been executed at Shadbar’s residence, resulting in the discovery and seizure of five weapons within a wall; two AK-47 rifles, a shotgun and two handguns. The shooting is believed to have involved one of the AK-47 rifles.

*Many media articles have been published about numerous calls from the sheriff regarding disputes between the victim and Shadbar. We would like to clarify this information.

In 2022 and 2023, no neighbors reported complaints to either the victim’s residence or Shadbar’s residence. This year, the sheriff’s office responded to a few calls at the victim’s home that were minor, unrelated issues that could be resolved on scene. There were a total of three calls from the victim related to Shadbar.

In March 2024, two complaint calls regarding Shadbar were received from the victim. The first call reported Shadbar acting very agitated and yelling at the victim and her children. Deputies responded and resolved the issue.

The second call reported Shadbar shooting fireworks and possibly a gun over the victim’s backyard fence. The victim stated that she was having ongoing issues with Shadbar. Officers spoke with Shadbar, conducted an initial investigation and due to a lack of evidence, no arrest was made at this time. The third complaint call involved the May 7, 2024 shooting that led to the arrest of John Shadbar.

*Shadbar’s next court date will be May 23, 2024 at the Will County Courthouse.