Two men charged in shooting that killed security guard at suburban Chicago mall
CALUMET CITY, Ill. (CBS) -- One year after a security guard was ambushed and shot on the job inside the River Oaks Mall in Calumet City, officials have announced a break in the case.
Maxx Tucker and Frank Adkins, both 38, are both now facing first-degree murder charges. They were arrested by the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force on Monday.
On Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, security guard Norman Thomas was shot and killed during a jewelry store robbery at the mall.
Thomas was at the entrance of the store when the robbers ambushed him and immediately fired rounds. The guard did not have time to react.
The three robbers then used their weapons to break a display case and steal jewelry. This all went down in under a minute.
As the robbers left the store, they stepped over the bleeding guard, and then ran out of the mall with the goods and the guns they used.
"It's hard. It's really been hard," said Syrall Thomas, Norman Thomas' widow. "Still heartbreaking."
Norman Thomas' family spoke Friday to reporters, including CBS 2's Tara Molina, out outside the Calumet City Police Department Friday. They were joined by Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones.
Syrall Thomas expressed relief at the two arrests.
"It's just a great feeling," she said.
Norman Thomas was a son, husband, father, and grandfather.
"He would also tell you that he was the protector," said Syrall Thomas.
"He would give the shirt off his back just to provide, if you needed it," said Norman Thomas' daughter, Erykah Thomas.
Norman Thomas was a veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He was escribed as a family man, and a hard worker with a big heart.
"He is more than just a news story," said Erykah Thomas. "He was a person. He was my father."
Calumet City police Chief Kevin Kolosh said police are still looking for the third person involved in the murder.
"The investigation is ongoing, and we're not done here. There's more work that needs to be done. There's more follow-up that we have to do," Kolosh said. "But to get these two off the street is something the community will benefit from."
The mall has come under scrutiny multiple times over the past several years for. In 2019, there was a fatal shooting outside the mall. In 2021, someone fired shots inside and no one was hurt.
Calumet City officials last year had been trying to acquire the shopping center to take control and increase security.
CBS 2's Molina asked Kolosh what has been done to address concerns in the past year.
"The mall has been a lot better with their communication with us," Kolosh said. "Their security staff has been spoken to; has been trained additional, and they're quicker at reporting things to us. And they're out there, and they're doing more patrol work."
The South Suburban Major Crimes Task force continues to investigate the case.