Two charged in Spring Hill Mall shooting

Two Carpentersville men have been arrested on charges of attempted murder in Thursday's shooting of a 19-year-old man in a parking lot outside Spring Hill Mall.

Juan Garcia of 1501 Northlake Parkway and Oscar Jacobo of 6018 Hampton Drive, both 18 years old, are being held at the Carpentersville police station, awaiting bond call this morning.

Both have been charged with attempted first-degree murder, armed violence and aggravated battery with a firearm, all felonies.

An investigation into Thursday's shooting is ongoing and police are asking anyone with information on the crime to call (847) 551-3481.

More Coverage Stories Police seek Spring Hill mall lot shooters [03/27/08]

Police said they had no further comment on the shooting Friday evening.

Most of Spring Hill Mall is in West Dundee, but the Kohl's parking lot, where the shooting took place, is in Carpentersville.

Based on what they know so far, police don't think the shooting was related to the mall, police Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne said.

Investigators are still trying to determine what kind of weapon was used.

"We know it was a handgun, but (we're) not sure what kind yet," Kilbourne said. "We haven't been able to do the testing on what's (been) recovered."

The 19-year-old man who was shot was upgraded to fair condition Friday, according to a spokeswoman at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where he was being treated.

The man, whose name has not been released, was initially in critical condition Thursday night.

He is expected to be moved out of the intensive care unit at Sherman, where he was being treated for one gunshot wound to the chest, hospital spokeswoman Christine Priester said.

A mall spokeswoman said Thursday's shooting did not seem to put a damper on sales or foot traffic on Friday.

"Shoppers are going about their business," mall spokeswoman Amy Prew said. "There is a normal buzz about the mall."

Prew said the mall had already taken steps to increase security and reassure shoppers and merchants.

"We take an incident like this very seriously," she said.

The mall has brought in additional public safety officers and there is an increased police presence inside and outside the mall, Prew said.

Prew added that Thursday's shooting would probably lead mall management to re-examine its security measures.

"I'm sure there's going to be some re-evaluation," she said. "There's always room for improvement."

Spring Hill Mall is managed by Chicago-based General Growth Properties.

Calling Thursday night's parking lot shooting an "isolated incident," West Dundee Police Chief Dave Sawyer said shoppers are safe at Spring Hill.

"I go there and my family goes there. We'll still go there," Sawyer said Friday morning.

"This is the first shooting we've ever had," Sawyer said, noting he's been with the department for 29 years and seen no violent incidents at the mall previously. "I believe it's an isolated incident."

"We always try to have a high presence (at the mall), as does Carpentersville. It will be even more now," he said.

Most police calls to the mall are for deceptive practice, retail theft or an occasional fight between two people, he said.

Carpentersville and West Dundee police share mall patrol duties. Because the shooting happened in the Carpentersville portion of the mall, Carpentersville police are investigating.

West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro reassured the community that the shooting at Spring Hill Mall, the village's chief source of sales tax revenue, is not typical.

"One isolated incident is not indicative of the safety of the community or, in this case, Spring Hill Mall," Cavallaro said.

"Unfortunately, it's indicative of our society, how there is now such a flagrant disregard for life and property and overall compassion for one another that these types of incidents happen."