Arrest Warrant Issued For Jakharr Williams In Fatal Shooting Of Javon Britten At Orland Square Mall
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police have issued an arrest warrant for a 19-year-old man wanted for a shooting at Orland Square Mall that left one man dead and another person wounded Monday night. Orland Park Police said Jakharr Williams, of University Park, has been identified as the gunman.
He should be considered armed and dangerous. He also has an active warrant for parole violation stemming from a 2016 conviction for robbery. An active manhunt was underway Tuesday morning.
Police said Williams and 18-year-old Javon Britten, of Richton Park, got into a fistfight near the food court inside Orland Square Mall around 6:45 p.m., when Williams pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Britten was shot in the chest, and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.
Britten was a senior at Rich Central High School, and hoped to graduate in May. His family said his dream was to go on to trade school. Instead of preparing to send him off to college, they must travel to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office to identify his body.
Britten's mother was too distraught to talk about the shooting. His aunt, Stephanie Keizer, spoke on behalf of the family about the sudden and violent death of her nephew.
"The shooter pushed himself upon my nephew, Javon, and my nephew pushed him away, and the shooter reached in, and pulled out a gun, and fired five times on him," she said.
Keizer said the family knows who Williams is, and she appealed directly for him to do the right thing.
"I'm asking this young man, with the help from the Lord, to turn himself in, surrender, so that both families can have peace," she said.
Britten's aunt said a huge void has been left in the wake of his murder.
"A big heart, very respectable. You can count on him to do anything. He was like the go-getter kid," she said. "It just doesn't make sense to me. My nephew is gone. Eighteen years old."
A second victim was grazed by a stray bullet, and was treated at Christ Medical Center for minor injuries.
Police said Williams ran east out of the mall after the shooting. Officers blocked mall entrances, and conducted a thorough search of the mall, but the gunman got away.
"This appears to be an isolated incident between the victim and the suspect," Orland Park Police Deputy Chief Joseph Mitchell said.
The mall was closed while investigators processed the scene.
Anyone who sees Williams should call Orland Park Police at 708-349-4111, or email at crimetips@orlandpark.org.
