The suspects in a Thanksgiving night shooting at a Kohl’s store in Romeoville, Illinois, have now been officially charged and their bonds’ set by an Illinois judge.
Robert Russell, the alleged suspect who was running from the store when officers arrived at the scene, has been charged with attempted murder, retail theft, and obstructing an officer. His bond has been set at $400,000.
After fleeing the store and being chased across the parking lot, Russell proceeded to jump into a Pontiac Sunfire. He allegedly then shut the car door on the arm of the officer who had been chasing him. The Pontiac’s 52-year-old driver accelerated, dragging the officer who was still partially inside the vehicle.
Another officer ordered the driver of the vehicle to stop multiple times. When the car did not stopped, the officer shot several rounds into the vehicle, hitting the driver in the arm and shoulder area. The car then halted, and officers were able to arrest Russell.
The driver was taken to the hospital and has not yet been released, nor officially charged. His condition is unknown, but he is expected to survive.
A third man, Gerald Chamberlain, was also charged for his part in the occurrence that took place Thursday night. Chamberlain was still inside the store when the exchange in the parking lot took place. He has been charged with theft, and his bond set at $100,000.
Romeoville police officers say that they received the call from the Kohl’s store on Weber Road (a southwest suburb of Chicago) around 10 on Thanksgiving night. The store employee who made the call reported that they believed a shoplifter was in the store. Upon arriving at the scene, police say they witnessed a man (Russell) running from the store and across the parking lot. An officer chased Russell into the Sunfire, which is when the rest of the events took place.
The officer who was dragged in the vehicle was treated at a local hospital and later released.
The Kohl’s store on Weber Road remained open throughout the entire ordeal, and stayed open through Black Friday.
A man shopping at the Kohl’s store when the exchange occurred, Phil Koster, told a Chicago news station, “Definitely not something I expected tonight. [I was] just doing some light shopping, trying to get in the Black Friday spirit, buy a few things. A little shaken up, not bad or anything. I was within five feet of everything happening. It was very surreal.”
Kohl’s later issued the following statement:
“A police investigation is under way into this matter. We are cooperating with the authorities leading the investigation and are referring all media inquiries to police.”
Main image courtesy #abcWNN via Twitter.