A Kankakee man, 19, has been charged with first-degree murder in a fatal stabbing on Wednesday at an Oswego Chick-fil-A that left a delivery driver dead and a maintenance worker hospitalized, according to the Oswego Police Department.
The Kendall County state’s attorney’s office charged Darryl Lee Jr., 19, of Kankakee, with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, concealment of a homicidal death, aggravated battery, armed robbery, armed violence and burglary, per a news release from the Police Department.
In the early hours of Wednesday, Oswego police were called to an Oswego Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 2700 block of Route 34 for a report of a stabbing, according to past reporting. There, they found Lee being restrained by two contracted maintenance workers, police said Thursday.
Lee was taken
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into custody, and officers began providing medical aid to one of the workers, who had been stabbed, the department said. The Oswego Fire Protection District ultimately arrived and began performing aid, and the injured man, 20, was taken to an area hospital. He was in stable condition as of Thursday evening, per the police.Officers conducted a sweep of the restaurant and found the other person who was stabbed, a delivery driver, unresponsive. Despite attempts to render medical aid, the individual was pronounced dead at the scene.
The delivery driver who died has since been identified as Tracey J. Land, 52, of Bridgeview, the Police Department said Thursday.
The Kendall County coroner’s office conducted an autopsy, the news release from the police said, and the preliminary investigation indicates that Land suffered multiple traumatic injuries. The final cause and manner of death is still pending further investigation by the coroner’s office and Oswego police, officials said.
The police investigation indicates that Land was making a delivery to the Chick-fil-A when, at about 3:10 a.m., the alleged offender broke into the restaurant, attacking Land with a hammer and knife, the Police Department said. It is believed that Lee remained in the restaurant attempting to clean up the scene, police said.
He left the restaurant about 4:56 a.m. and allegedly attacked the maintenance worker from behind by stabbing him with a knife, according to the department. New details from police on Thursday indicate that Lee was subdued by the maintenance worker with help from his mother, who was on site working with him.
The Chick-fil-A location doesn’t open to the public until 6:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. No restaurant employees were present at the time of the incident, the police department previously said.
Lee was taken by Oswego police to the Kendall County Jail and was in custody as of Thursday evening, police said. He had a hearing set for Friday.
Oswego police Chief Jason Bastin called the incident an “unprovoked attack,” and said the department is “grateful for the bravery of those who intervened and for the coordinated response” of the department’s officers, fire personnel and assisting agencies.
According to the police department, the Montgomery Police Department, Kendall County sheriff’s office, Kendall County Major Crimes Task Force, Kendall County state’s attorney’s office and Kendall County coroner’s office assisted in the investigation.