Authorities: Man was killed during botched armed robbery attempt at Oakbrook Center

A Chicago woman was injured and her accomplice was killed during a botched armed robbery last month at Oakbrook Center mall, authorities said Tuesday.

Chance Jamerson, 29, and 28-year-old Justin Hill of Dolton were attempting to rob someone of $2,000 in the mall parking lot on Sept. 30 when they were both shot, authorities said. Hill was killed in the shooting.

On Tuesday, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said the man who fatally shot Hill was acting in justified self-defense and will not face charges. He used a gun Hill brought to carry out the robbery to shoot the Dolton man and Jamerson, Berlin added.

Jamerson faces three counts of attempted armed robbery. She appeared in court Tuesday, when DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden ordered that she remain in jail while awaiting trial.

According to prosecutors, Jamerson was the mastermind behind the attempted armed robbery.

Assistant DuPage County State’s Attorney Alexandra Levan told Dieden in court that Jamerson had gone to the mall with one of the victims Sept. 29 to buy Swatch watches.

The man had been hiring people to buy the watches, which cost $448 apiece, so he could resell them. The store had limited sales to one per person.

Jamerson knew the man would be carrying $2,000 in cash when they returned the next day, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Jamerson rode with the man and two other people to the mall in a Mercedes-Benz. Hill arrived in a Nissan and, following instructions Jamerson texted to him, boxed the Mercedes in a parking spot.

Hill then opened a door of the Mercedes and pointed the handgun inside, Levan said.

The driver and Hill struggled over the gun, and Jamerson joined in, trying to help Hill, according to Levan.

Jamerson was shot in the abdomen during the struggle, authorities said. The driver then got out of the car and shot Hill, officials said.

One of the Mercedes’ passengers then moved the Nissan out of the way and they left the scene, according to prosecutors. The three would-be robbery victims drove to the Oakbrook Terrace Police Department and turned themselves in, Levan said.

Jamerson got into the Nissan and drove off but returned moments later, she added.

Berlin said Jamerson cannot be charged with murder for Hill’s death due to a change in state law that was made a few years ago when the SAFE-T Act was adopted.

Before that, a person could be charged with murder for the death of a co-participant in a forcible felony, even if the person was killed by someone else, he said. Now they can only be charged with murder if they personally caused the death.

Jamerson attorney Gus Kostopoulos said outside of court Tuesday that his client denies prosectors’ allegations. He said she is the mother of three children, including a baby who is about a month old. She also cares for an elderly grandmother and is attending college, Kostopoulos said.

Kostopoulos had argued for home detention, including GPS monitoring.

Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis said at the news conference that the mall’s Swatch store will not be allowed to hold special events related to the release of new watches.

It was the second time police have had an issue with Swatch releases in the last year. In May, the store was closed for two days when large crowds overwhelmed it.

ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com