Slain gunman who targeted far-right provocateur Nick Fuentes had mounting legal battles

A man who was killed in a gunfight with police last month after fatally shooting three people downstate and later showing up at the Berwyn home of far-right agitator Nick Fuentes had grown despondent as he faced mounting legal issues, records show.

John Lyons, 24, from Westchester, initially targeted a former roommate named Caleb Mason who he had sued over an alleged beating in June 2022. Mason, his mother and his sister were all shot to death Dec. 18 at their home in Mahomet, and Lyons was quickly identified as the gunman. Hours later, Lyons showed up at Fuentes' door.

Lyons had been scheduled to appear in Cook County court the following morning in a pending criminal case stemming from a hit-and-run crash in Proviso Township in September, court records show.

Reports obtained from the Berwyn and Mahomet police departments offer a window into Lyons’ psyche at the time of the crime spree.

But the records don’t provide any indication why he targeted Fuentes, whose apartment building had become a magnet for his critics after the address was leaked online in response to a controversial social media post he made.

Lyons’ parents told police that he fell into a downward spiral after Mason allegedly beat and choked him until he lost consciousness at their shared apartment in Champaign. Lyons’ parents said their son sued Mason after criminal charges were declined.

“Since this time John has become depressed, distant, moved back in with them, and has quit his job within the last couple weeks,” according to a Berwyn police report summarizing the interview with Lyons’ parents.

They noted that Lyons had grown “angry and belligerent” with law enforcement officials who came to their home and questioned him about last year’s crash, Berwyn police said.

Before the shootout with police, his parents were alarmed when he lied about his whereabouts and they realized he was driving somewhere in central Illinois, according to Berwyn police.

About 11:25 p.m. on Sept. 18, just minutes before Lyons arrived at Fuentes’ home, Lyons told his parents that he would be home soon. After he stopped responding, they reported him missing to Westchester police, Berwyn police said.

Lyons’ father is a former prosecutor who has most recently served as the chief administrator for DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin. An attorney for Lyons’ family didn’t respond to requests to comment.

Gunman waited to attack

Lyons had previously appeared at the Masons’ home about five hours earlier, asking a man who was living there to speak to 23-year-old Caleb Mason and identifying himself only as “Jack.” Caleb Mason, his mother Janice and his sister Sara weren’t home at the time, according to Mahomet police reports.

The roommate who initially spoke to Lyons told him Caleb Mason wasn’t expected home for hours and texted Sara Mason about the “odd” interaction, Mahomet police said. When two friends dropped Sara Mason off shortly before 7 p.m., they also encountered Lyons.

“He isn’t home,” Sara Mason reportedly told Lyons, “he’s at work.”

Lyons stayed in the area and returned to the home when Janice Mason arrived about 9:10 p.m., Mahomet police said. The roommate recalled Janice Mason, 61, telling him the family was at odds with Lyons over the pending lawsuit.

Minutes later, Sara Mason made chilling posts on social media referencing Lyons’ looming presence. She noted that Lyons was looking for her brother and was wearing a motorcycle helmet inside of a car.

“Trying not to be a scared suburban white woman about the dude waiting outside of my house…” she wrote on X at 9:22 p.m. “He like left but probably will be back.”

Officers were ultimately called to the home about 9:40 p.m. when the roommate reported the shooting, according to Mahomet police. He had heard gunfire while he was playing a computer game in the basement and found the three family members wounded in the garage and driveway.

Leak drew critics to Fuentes’ home

About two hours after the shooting, Lyons showed up at the door of an apartment building in Berwyn. A resident called 911 and reported the man was armed and had been captured in surveillance footage, Berwyn police said in a report.

The name of the complainant and the address were redacted in the report. But Fuentes — a streamer known for his racist, sexist and antisemitic views — posted surveillance videos on X that appear to show Mason approaching his building wearing a motorcycle helmet and wielding a crossbow and a handgun. Berwyn police said the posts were gathered as evidence.

“An armed killer made an attempt on my life at my home, which was recently doxed on this platform,” Fuentes said on X.

Fuentes’ home address was posted online after he made an incendiary social media post as President-elect Donald Trump cruised to victory in the November election.

“Your body, my choice. Forever,” Fuentes wrote on X, an apparent reference to the “My body, my choice” slogan used by abortion rights supporters.

Fuentes, 26, has said the disclosure of his address has spurred harassment and unwanted visitors. He faces a misdemeanor charge for allegedly pepper-spraying a woman who showed up to his home to confront him about the post, which he has described as “a joke.”

An attorney for Fuentes didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Officers who responded to the call about Lyons saw him run through a gangway, according to Berwyn police. He left behind a backpack holding the crossbow, documents that identified him and “liquid accelerants.”

Lyons later broke into a nearby home through an unlocked basement door, then fired at a resident and fatally struck two dogs, Berwyn police said. Lyons tried to chase the person onto the second floor, but the resident held a door shut and blocked him.

He then ran across an alley into a backyard and fired toward the officers, hitting the window of a squad car, Berwyn police said. He was fatally struck in the head during an ensuing gun battle.

Berwyn police said he had legally bought the handgun used in the spree — a purchase his parents said they were unaware of.