By Heather Niziolek
West Chicago Voice
WEST CHICAGO — A DeKalb man has been convicted of attempted first-degree murder for a chilling, unprovoked shooting that left a West Chicago man with life-altering injuries in 2021.
A DuPage County jury on Thursday night found Ahmad Steele, 38, guilty of both attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm, stemming from a violent attack that occurred on January 28, 2021, in the parking lot of Mapei Corporation on Industrial Drive.
According to prosecutors, the victim — a Mapei employee — was sitting in his vehicle during a dinner break around 7:30 p.m. when Steele drove into the lot in a Chevrolet Blazer and parked several spaces away. Without warning or provocation, Steele exited the vehicle with a shotgun, approached the victim’s car, and fired into the vehicle, striking the man in the face.
Shocking testimony revealed that after walking away briefly, Steele returned and raised the shotgun a second time. Remarkably, the two men were strangers and had no known prior interaction.
Steele was arrested on February 6, 2021, by Naperville police, who identified him through witness accounts and a description of the Blazer. He was denied bond and has remained in custody since his arrest.
The victim survived the shooting but endured five reconstructive surgeries to rebuild his jaw. Tragically, he passed away in early 2023 from an unrelated medical condition at the age of 40.
Both convictions are Class X felonies. Due to the use of a firearm, Steele faces a mandatory enhanced sentence of at least 31 years in prison — 6 to 30 years for the attempted murder charge, with an additional mandatory 25 years because a gun was used.
Steele is scheduled to return to court on April 29 for post-trial motions and to receive a presentence investigation report.
This case underscores the alarming reality of random violence and the resilience of its victims. The name of the victim is being withheld at the request of the family.
