Thanksgiving Night Shooting at Kohl's Store

Written by Ron Kremer, Patch.com

One alleged shoplifting suspect attempting to flee the scene of an incident on Thanksgiving night at a Kohl's Department store in Romeoville was shot by a Romeoville Police officer, according to a Sun-Times News Group report.

Another officer was injured and two of the three men involved in the incident—all from Joliet—were taken into custody after police received a call from store security about shoplifters at 10:10 p.m. Thursday, according to the report.

The third alleged suspect—identified as 52-year-old Charles Hinch of the 400 block of Pico Street in Joliet—was taken to Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital in Bolingbrook with one gunshot wound and later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, according to the Sun-Times News Group report.

Kohl's Shooting on Thanksgiving Night: Dramatic Description & Photos from the Scene

Hinch was shot after two officers arrived on the scene and confronted 51-year-old Robert Russell, who was trying to flee from the Kohl's Department Store, located at 261 S. Weber Road in Romeoville, according to the report. The officers chased Russell and he jumped into the passenger seat of a Pontiac Sunfire, according to the report.

Russell, who resides in the 500 block of Francis Street in Joliet, closed the door of the vehicle on one officer's arm, according to the Sun-Times report. And the officer's arm was still stuck in the car's door when the driver—Hinch—pulled away, according to the report.

A second Romeoville police officer ordered the driver to stop, but the car kept moving, and the second officer fired three or four shots into the car, hitting Hinch in the left arm, according to the Sun-Times News Group report. The officer who was dragged during the wild escape attempt—his life reportedly in danger—was taken to Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the report.

A third man was arrested while still inside the store—28-year-old Gerald Chamberlain of the 1300 block of Englewood Avenue in Joliet—according to the report.

"This is definitely a rare occurrence," stated Romeoville Police Chief Mark Turvey in the Sun-Times News Group report. "We've had shoplifting on Black Friday, but something like this is rare."

Turvey said charges are pending against all three Joliet men involved in the case as Romeoville Police continue to investigate the incident.

Shots Fired at Kohl's During Late-Night Shopping