A 19-year-old accused of being part of a plot to steal vape cartridges from a 22-year-old victim during an armed robbery in Zion has been ordered detained until trial.
Aamari T. Gray, 19, appeared in Lake County court Monday for court-ordered Detention hearing on charges of aggravated battery by discharge of a firearm, a Class X felony, and robbery, a Class 2 felony, in connection with a robbery at an apartment complex near the Westside Plaza shopping center at 4200 Route 173.
Detective Lt. Paul D. Kehrli of the Zion Police Department said officers were called to that location at 7:19 p.m. on March 6 because a 22-year-old unincorporated Zion man was suffering from a single gunshot wound to the leg.
Paramedics transported the gunshot victim to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, police said.
The investigation determined the shooting occurred in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex moments before the victim drove himself to Westside Plaza and phoned police.
Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said during the court-ordered Detention hearing that Gray and a second subject arranged to meet with the victim in the parking lot of the apartment complex to purchase some vape cartridges.
It’s unclear if the co-defendant in the case is in custody at this time.
At the apartment complex, Gray and the second offender got out of their vehicle during the meeting with the victim and entered the victim’s vehicle to conduct the transaction.
After Gray and the second offender entered the victim’s vehicle, court records show “significant activity” took place that resembled a struggle or a fight inside the victim’s car.
Gray and the second offender then exited the victim’s car and went back to their car carrying a box-type object in their hand, Facklam said.
Gray got into the driver’s seat of the vehicle while the second offender climbed into the back seat of the car.
After the struggle, the victim got out of his vehicle and ran towards Gray’s car. At that point, the offender seated in the rear seat pointed a gun out of the car window and shot the victim.
Facklam said during the detention hearing that Gray was not the person who fired the round, but said the shooting took place during an apparent robbery.
The victim fell, court records show, but he was able to hop back to his car and drive off, stopping down the street at the shopping plaza where he phoned 911.
Gray’s vehicle was identified through a license plate reader at the apartment complex, Facklam said, and recovered in Wisconsin, Facklam said.
He said blood from the victim and a .40 caliber spent cartridge casing were recovered from the vehicle.
The victim also identified Gray and the second offender as the two involved in the vape cartridge robbery, Facklam said.
“This was a violent offense involving a firearm that was a planned robbery,” Facklam said. “This is not a situation where the evidence shows the deal went bad. This was a planned robbery from the beginning.”
Defense attorney Joseph Zeit argued the co-defendant was the person who fired the weapon at the victim, and added that future evidence will show the victim was also armed during the vape cartridge deal.
“The evidence does not identify my client as the shooter,” Zeit said. “The evidence identifies the co-defendant as the shooter in this incident.”
Lake County Judge Ari Fisz ruled in favor of detention, saying it was a clear robbery that involved a weapon and a lack of evidence exists to prove the victim was armed at the time of the incident.
Gray is due back in court on June 26.