CHICAGO – The concealed carrier who killed an erratic stranger on a Lincoln Park street last week had a trove of firearms, including a “sniper-style rifle,” in his nearby apartment, and a “multi-page plan to kill a non-” harm related individual. at a specific event,” prosecutors said Friday.
The stunning revelations came as prosecutors charged John Conway, 35, with the murder of Alexander Nesteruk, 34, last Wednesday afternoon in the 2400 block of North Clark. Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman detained Conway pending trial, saying items found in his home increased the risk to the public.
In an offering from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Prosecutor Mike Pekara said Nesteruk had been acting erratically in the neighborhood, kicking car doors and harassing passersby and businesses.
Video showed Nesteruk making an “air kick” toward Conway as Conway walked down the street, Pekara said. He said the kick did not hit Conway.
Both men came to a stop, “a full sidewalk” apart, and Conway pulled a gun from his right pocket, Pekara said. Conway allegedly raised the firearm and shot Nesteruk, who had stood back and had his hands at his sides, once in the chest.
Conway watched as Nesteruk staggered away and collapsed before “calmly turning around and walking south on Clark Street at a steady pace,” Pekara alleged. The entire shooting was captured on clear video, and some cameras captured footage of Conway walking away as emergency vehicles responding to the shooting passed him with their lights activated, Pekara said.
Nedruk died earlier this week.
About an hour after the shooting, Conway went to a nearby gym where he is a regular patron.
CWBChicago reported earlier this week that a reader recognized the shooter as “a weirdo” who “always keeps to himself.” All black clothes, all the time.”
Based on video footage, investigators determined the shooter likely used a specific make and model of revolver, Pekara said. Federal agents discovered that Conway had purchased one of those revolvers in 2020, and police reportedly found a matching gun in Conway’s apartment last night.
After Chicago police released surveillance images of the shooting suspect, “several” people contacted investigators to identify the person as someone they knew from local businesses and his apartment building. Conway surrendered to police at the Belmont and Western facility around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, about eight hours after CPD released the photos. According to a police report, he immediately invoked his right to an attorney.
Detectives executed a search warrant at Conway’s home in the 2600 block of North Lakeview on Thursday shortly before 7 p.m. Pekara said they found the revolver, three additional handguns, “a sniper rifle with a scope and a bi-pod stand” and “multiple types of ammunition, including ammunition for an AR-15.” Notes found in the apartment indicated that Conway had zeroed the rifle’s accuracy to 800 yards. Pekara also reported finding ballistic armor, night vision equipment and a telephone jammer.
Disturbingly, police also found a map of Illinois with several colleges circled, a written document with “derogatory language” and another detailed plan to kill an unnamed person at an event, Pekara said. The plan included “notes detailing escape routes,” Pekara said. He said police also found a map of an unnamed Chicago neighborhood with “X’s marker locations within that neighborhood.”
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