Joliet man charged with Lockport Township murder

A Joliet man has been arrested on charges alleging he murdered a man and wounded another man in a shooting in Lockport Township.

About 11 a.m. Friday, Jaron Nabors Jr., 24, was taken to the Will County jail on a charge of the first-degree murder of James Berry, 52, of Lockport and the aggravated battery of a 55-year-old man. Nabors is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

The charges stem from an incident about 7 p.m. Feb. 8, when officers responded to a shooting in the 200 block of Riverview Avenue in Lockport Township.

Deputies found a 55-year-old man laying near the front door of a residence who had been shot and Berry laying near the other victim, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Berry was returning from a local grocery store with food for a birthday celebration, police said. As he approached the front of the residence, the 55-year-old man answered the door.

As the door opened, Nabors allegedly “approached the front of the residence and began firing his weapon in the direction of the two men,” police said.

Both men were shot “multiples time at close range near the front residence,” police said. Witnesses reported hearing five to six gunshots.

The 55-year-old man was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the shooting and Berry died from his wounds at a hospital, police said.

Evidence at the scene indicated to police there was one suspect who was responsible for the shooting, police said. Investigators later identified Nabors as a person of interest.

On Wednesday, deputies found Nabors in Joliet Township. Nabors tried to flee but was arrested without incident, police said. Deputies found a Glock 34 9 mm handgun in a hoodie that Nabors was wearing, police said.

A forensic analysis and testing concluded the weapon recovered by deputies was the same one used in the murder of Berry, police said.

Nabors initially made statements to detectives regarding his involvement with the firearm, but they determined those statements were false, police said.

Surveillance videos obtained by detectives as well as additional electronic evidence items “were key pieces of evidence in securing this arrest,” police said.

In a statement, Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley said because of the detectives’ “determination, drive, and persistence, an armed criminal was arrested and held accountable for his deadly actions. Throughout this investigation, especially in the last [48] hours, detectives worked tirelessly in furthering this case to the point that there was enough probable cause to secure an arrest warrant.”

Will County Judge Sarah Jones signed the warrant for Nabors’ arrest that said he is to be held in jail without release until there is a detention hearing.