Suspect in Ukrainian Village hookah bar shooting was on parole, still at large
CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago police are searching for a fugitive who they say killed a bouncer at a hookah lounge back on New Year's Day.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey had an update on the case. CPD said they don't know where the suspect is, but she learned the state should have known because he was on parole at the time.
He was let go on parole, or what is known as "supervised release" in Illinois, exactly two years to the day before he was accused of shooting and killing the bouncer. State records list him as a fugitive, which left CBS 2 asking: is the release system working?
Austin McAllister, a veteran and father of six, was working as a bouncer at the Lyons Den Hookah Lounge on New Year's Day. His loved ones told CBS 2 McAllister was trying to keep someone out of the bar when the man pulled out a gun and shot him.
"I can't believe it," said Latoya Wade, the mother of McAllister's child. She added, "He was just doing his job and it's senseless. This doesn't make any sense."
Now police said Jimmy Chamberlain, 31, is the man who pulled the trigger. Court records said he was captured on video and observed by witnesses at the private event.
Chamberlain was turned away on three separate occasions and was denied entry.
During the final attempt, he took out a gun and shot McAllister multiple times. He served a little over six years in prison for an armed home invasion, and was supposed to be on supervised release starting in December of 2020. But he never completed it and the Illinois Department of Corrections said his last check in was on Jan. 31.
Individuals on parole are required to check in twice a month, regardless of their supervision level. At the time a warrant for Chamerlain's arrest was issued, he was on Level 3 supervision, meaning he was seen every 90 days by IDOC.
"Well, to be really honest, it's not that unusual, unfortunately," said Jennifer Vollen-Katz, with the prison watchdog John Howard Association.
Vollen-Katz said the latest data shows the rate of a convicted criminals reoffending in Illinois is about 40%, which she said is high.
"What research has shown over a long period of time is the way it is currently set up, it becomes more of a system of surveillance than a system of support," Vollen-Katz said.
The data from the Illinois Prisoner Review Board in 2020, the year Chamberlain was released, showed his was one of the more than 13,000 release reviews. That same year, more than 5,600 prisoners had their releases revoked.
Vollen-Katz said that's another signal that the current system isn't working and that's why her organization has been pushing to change the duration and the structure of some supervised release programs.
"I think we need to really look at that and think about how we're supporting people when they come out, not looking for them to mess up or fail, but helping them along the way," she said.
Vollen-Katz said the high rate of reoffending also points to the need for additional supports inside prisons.
As for Chamberlain, he's still wanted on two active warrants, one issued on Feb. 6 for being a parole absconder.
Police warned that if you see him, do not approach him. Call 911 immediately.