John Gately III has been charged with homicide in the killing late Monday of Mayer Brown partner Stephen Shapiro, according to police.

John Gately III (Courtesy of Northfield Police)

Gately, 66, is the brother of Shapiro's wife, Joan Gately Shapiro. In addition to facing a charge of first-degree murder, Gately was charged with attempted homicide, according to a statement by the Northfield Police Department, which did not include a motive for the shooting.

Shapiro, 72, was shot in his home in Northfield, a northern suburb of Chicago, around 7:20 p.m. Officers traced a suspect, presumably Gately, to an apartment in neighboring Winnetka, Illinois. Following a brief standoff with a SWAT team, Gately was taken into custody late Monday night.

A Cook County Medical Examiner's report released late Tuesday said the cause of Shapiro's death was homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Shapiro once served as U.S. deputy solicitor general during the Reagan administration. He also is credited with founding Mayer Brown's U.S. Supreme Court and appellate practice. In front of the country's highest court, Shapiro has argued 30 cases and personally briefed more than 200.

The murder of Shapiro has sparked an outpouring of shock and remembrances from former friends and colleagues, including those affiliated with the national appellate bar. Shapiro's last oral argument took place less than two weeks ago when he represented Whirlpool Corp. before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Aug. 2.

Shapiro is survived by his wife, as well as a daughter, Dorothy Shapiro Lund, a former Sullivan & Cromwell associate who is now an assistant professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. (Shapiro's son-in-law, Oren Lund, was until recently a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago and Los Angeles.) A son, former Chicago comedian Michael Shapiro, died in 2015.

A memorial for Shapiro will be held at 4 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 20, at Christ Church in Winnetka.

As for Gately, he has a bond hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Skokie, Illinois.