John P. Shadbar of Illinois has been charged with a hate crime after shooting Melissa Robertson. a white mother of Black sons.
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The Alleged Shooter, John P. Shadbar. | Source: Will County Sheriff’s Office
Another day, another American hate crime terrorizing another group of people. This time, the victim was a mom of three who was shot in front of her 8-year-old — and she was white. But Melissa Robertson, 45, was reportedly targeted and nearly killed by an allegedly rabid white supremacist because her children, boys, are all Black. And apparently, that’s all it took.
According to NBC News, 70-year-old John P. Shadbar of Lockport Township, Illinois, has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly shot his neighbor, Melissa Robertson, several times for no other reason than she is the mother of Black sons. But Shadbar had been harassing the mother and her sons consistently since they moved to the area 10 years ago.
From NBC:
Mikeal Johnson, one of Robertson’s sons, told the news station that during one incident Shadbar allegedly yelled slurs like “dead n-words, n-word this, n-word lover.”
“[He] called me the n-word straight to my face,” Johnson said. “My mom made him apologize. A few days later he comes out holding a gun in his underwear.”
Other times, Shadbar would allegedly fire his gun in his yard and toss fireworks between the homes, the family said.
During Tuesday’s incident, he was yelling “dead n-word” and was trying to get into the family’s backyard, Robertson’s aunt, Jeanne Beyer, told NBC Chicago. Robertson’s 8-year-old son witnessed the shooting, the family said.
Shadbar was identified by witnesses who, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, reported that he “shot the victim outside and was walking around his property with a rifle.” Witnesses also reported that Shadbar fired dozens of rounds at the woman “from different outside locations.” Video footage of the shooting was captured by multiple security cameras in the area, and the sheriff’s department believes it was racially motivated—and for good reason.
After the shooting, Shadbar reportedly barricaded himself in his house until a crisis negotiator talked him out, which didn’t happen until after the alleged shooter made “several incriminating statements,” according to the authorities. After he was convinced to surrender, Shadbar was arrested and taken to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where he was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and a hate crime. The sheriff’s office said he will likely face additional charges. Shadbar made his first court appearance last Thursday and was denied pretrial release.
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty
As for the mother of three, Robinson was reportedly shot in the chest and hand and is currently recovering after making it through surgery, according to the sheriff’s office. There haven’t yet been reports about how her 8-year-old son will be able to recover from standing beside his mom and seeing her fall in a pool of blood because a neighbor decided to try to kill her.
One of Robinson’s older sons, Mikeal Johnson, shared a particular sentiment in an interview with NBC Chicago. Looking at the impact of the racists’ actions on people beyond his family, he said: “This did not need to happen at all. Not just our lives, but his life and his wife’s and our neighbors are all affected by it.”
SEE ALSO:
Hate in America: The Many Faces Of White Supremacy
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