A robbery that went wrong left one suspect dead and another charged with murder after police say the victim shot a suspect who beat him with a hammer in Lindenhurst early Tuesday morning.
Michael J. Zachery, 23, of the 1600 block of Simpson Street in Evanston, was charged Tuesday evening with first-degree murder and armed robbery for his involvement in the incident.
The Lindenhurst Police Department was called to a single-family home in the 300 block of Teal Road for a robbery around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. The 911 caller, who witnessed the incident from inside the home, told police that someone had been shot during a robbery.
Responding police officers found Zachery’s accomplice, a 34-year-old Chicago man dead. Zachery was arrested at the scene by police after being restrained by one of the residents of the home.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said that Zachery and the 34-year-old Chicago man, whose name has not been publicly released, drove to the victim’s home in Lindenhurst to purchase a gun from the homeowner.
Shortly after arriving at the home and talking with the gun seller, the two men tried robbing the victim and struck him several times with a hammer. The victim shot and killed the 34-year-old suspect.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy Tuesday afternoon on the suspect who was killed. Autopsy results have not yet been released.
No one else was injured during the incident, police said.
“This appears to be an isolated event and there is no active threat to the community,” Covelli added. Zachery is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday at 9 a.m.