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Man Charged in Death of Suburban Attorney to Appear in Court

The man charged with killing a prominent Chicago-area attorney was expected to appear in court Thursday.

John Gately III, 66, was charged Wednesday with the shooting death of 72-year-old Stephen Shapiro, of the 200 block of Latrobe Avenue in north suburban Northfield, Northfield police said in a statement.

The shooting took place at around 7:19 p.m. Monday evening at Shapiro's home, according to police. Gately was taken into custody at around 10:35 p.m. that night at his home in the 1000 block of Tower Road in Winnetka, officials said.

The shooting prompted a massive, multi-agency police response, including the use of a SWAT team in Gately's arrest.

"When Glencoe and Winnetka police showed up, they responded and eventually set up a perimeter and once they got more word, they shifted the perimeter farther to keep us out of the danger," area resident Blake Segvich said.

Officials said the shooting was domestic in nature and there was no threat to the community.

Shapiro was an attorney with the Mayer Brown law firm, where he was the founder and senior member of the firm's Supreme Court practice, according to the company's website.

"We are shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Steve Shapiro, our friend and colleague," John Tuerck of Mayer Brown said in a statement. "Steve joined our firm in 1972 and was promoted to partner in 1978, becoming one of the most accomplished appellate lawyers in the United States. Our thoughts are with Steve’s family at this difficult time."

Police did not release any further details on the shooting, including a motive or information on the suspect's relationship to Shapiro.

Gately was charged with one count of homicide and one count of attempted homicide, according to police. He was expected to appear at a bond hearing beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Skokie Courthouse, officials said.

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