Man Charged In Orland Park Mall Shooting 'Fit' For Trial: Judge

ORLAND PARK, IL — The man charged in the fatal 2019 shooting inside Orland Square mall has been deemed fit to stand at trial, according to a judge at Jakharr Williams' hearing Wednesday.

The shooting occurred in January of 2019 and left one teenager dead and one other person wounded. Cook County Circuit Judge Margaret Ogarek read the results of a fitness evaluation for Williams which stated the 23-year-old could participate in his own defense.

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Williams, who was 20 at the time of the shooting, has been held without bond since he was arrested in connection with the Jan. 21, 2019 event. The shooting killed 18-year-old Javon Britten and injured one other shopper.

According to prosecutors, Williams and Britten knew one another and had an argument in the moments leading up to the shooting. That day, Britten was with his older cousin at the mall's food court when Williams began yelling at the pair. He then fired a gun seven times, prosecutors said.

The case will be presented on Dec. 30 pending Williams finding a new lawyer after he dismissed his Orland Park attorney at Wednesday's virtual hearing.

Williams, of University Park, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery.