Oakbrook shooting: Chicago mother Chance Jamerson charged with armed robbery; no murder charges in Justin Hill’s death

OAK BROOK, Ill. (WLS) — Authorities have released new details about the Chicago woman charged after a fatal shooting at Oakbrook Center mall last month.

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A judge on Tuesday denied the pretrial release of Chance Jamerson, 29.

Prosecutors accuse him of orchestrating an armed robbery with Justin Hill, the man who died in the shooting.

Jamerson faces three counts of attempted armed robbery in connection with the shooting at Oakbrook Center mall on September 30.

Prosecutors say she was in a black Mercedes with three other people in the mall parking lot, having acquired several Swatch watches.

That’s when police say a man, now identified as Hill, pulled up behind them in a Nissan Rogue, blocking their vehicle.

Hill then allegedly approached with a gun and said he was robbing them.

Prosecutors believe it was a set-up orchestrated by Jamerson and Hill.

“The driver of the Mercedes began fighting with Hill over the gun,” DuPage County Prosecutor Robert Berlin said. “While fighting the defendant in this case, Jamerson began fighting the driver, which is what made the driver of the Mercedes believe that chance had trapped him.”

That’s when prosecutors say the driver shot Hill and killed Jamerson in the abdomen.

The driver and two others went to the Oakbrook Terrace Police Department and were taken into custody. All three were later released without charge.

Meanwhile, license plate readers helped police stop Jamerson who was leaving in the Nissan. She returned to the scene and was arrested about 20 minutes after the shooting.

Prosecutors now say the driver who fired that gun and the two others at the scene will not face charges.

“The investigation determined that the driver of the Mercedes shot Chance Jamerson in the abdomen and killed Justin Hill to prevent the commission of a forceful crime,” Berlin said. “Accordingly, there will be no charges against the driver of the Mercedes for shooting the defendant and shooting and killing Justin Hill.”

Jamerson’s attorney says he disputes that account from prosecutors.

“My clients understand that Mr. Hill is the one responsible for the armed robbery,” defense attorney Gus Kostopoulos said. “The state doesn’t have all the evidence and hasn’t fully described how everything happened, so she’s looking forward to trial.”

Prosecutors say evidence from Jamerson’s phone showed she had been in contact with Hill before the incident, telling him when to arrive and what to do.

Police say the shooting impacted operations at the mall’s Swatch store.

“We’ve had some issues related to special Swatch watches at this location,” said Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis. “I want to say that this will no longer happen on this Swatch site.”

Police want to assure the public that this was an isolated planned incident and remain confident in public safety at Oak Brook Center Mall.

Jamerson is due back in court on October 23.

His lawyers said Jamerson was eager to see his children, including a 3-week-old baby.

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