Hayes: 'Outstanding Police Work' Led To Elwood Shooter's Arrest

ELWOOD, IL — For the second time this year, the Elwood Police Department has investigated a shooting in the small village south of Joliet that resulted in a quick arrest. Elwood Police Chief Fred Hayes praised the work of three Elwood police officers who were responsible for Friday night's capture and arrest of 20-year-old Elwood resident Anthony D. Hill.

Last weekend's shooting left a 49-year-old Elwood resident injured with one gunshot to his right shoulder. After shooting his neighbor, Hill ran from the crime scene, Hayes told Joliet Patch.

Hayes singled out the performance of Elwood Police Officers Ken Jaburek, Brad Lande and Tony Lohmar for their role in Hill's arrest and the recovery of two guns, a Ruger and a Glock.

"It was outstanding police work," Hayes remarked during Tuesday's interview. "They did fantastic work."

Hayes said the Elwood officers responded to the scene of Friday night's shooting quickly "and the suspect was located, and they were able to arrest the suspect without any incident."

The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has charged Hill with the following crimes: aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a gun, two counts of defacing identification marks on a firearm and four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Hill, who lives in Elwood's 800 block of Redwood Drive, remains in the Will County Jail with a $500,000 bail.

Hayes said the motive for the shooting was an apparent dispute between neighbors. The victim "and the suspect got into an altercation," Hayes added.

According to police, several neighbors indicated that Hill punched the 49-year-old Elwood neighbor and reached into his waist and fired one gunshot right in front of the victim's residence.

The shooting victim was rushed by ambulance to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center, and he was later treated and released from the hospital, the chief said.

Hill had two guns at the time of the shooting, Hayes said.

About three blocks from the scene of the shooting, Elwood police pulled over the fleeing Chevy pickup truck near the intersection of Cedarwood and Meadowbrook and Hill was a passenger.

A Ruger handgun was found on the floorboard of the vehicle near where Hill was sitting, but that was not the gun used in the shooting, the chief said.

Hayes said the gun involved in the shooting, a Glock 9mm, was later found with the help of Shorewood police officer John Coldwater and his K-9.

The gun used in Friday night's shooting was discovered behind a shed in the 800 block of Redwood Drive, which is the same block where Hill lives, according to police.

After finding the gun, Elwood police realized it had malfunctioned.

"The victim is very fortunate," Hayes told Joliet Patch. "The Glock suffered a malfunction and the suspect wasn't able to fire additional rounds. It's a semi-automatic."

A review of Will County court records indicates Hill's latest arrest marks his fifth set of criminal charges that remain open at the courthouse.

On May 5, Will County prosecutors charged Hill with domestic battery, stating that Hill struck a woman in Elwood in the head. The charge informed the judge that Hill already has a 2019 domestic battery conviction.

On Nov. 17, 2020, Hill was charged with battery in University Park. In that case, prosecutors say he pushed a man.

On May 4, 2020, Hill was charged with criminal trespass to property. Prosecutors say that Hill entered the land of the Joliet Housing Authority near 311 North Ottawa Street in Joliet "after receiving, prior to such entry, notice from Joliet Housing Authority that such entry is forbidden."

On Jan. 28, 2020, Hill was charged with criminal trespass to property after he "knowingly remained on the land of another, Joliet Public Library, at or near 150 North Ottawa Street, Joliet, after receiving notice from the occupant to depart."

This marks the second shooting of the year investigated by Elwood police.

In late February, a Shorewood man, Bobby Bigger, was fatally shot in his car as he was driving home from work in the middle of the night along Baseline Road within the CenterPoint Intermodal Center.

Within days of the homicide, Elwood police charged 38-year-old Joliet resident Derrell Draper with first-degree murder.