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WeatherTech shooter held on $5 million bond

Charles McKnight Jr., 27, was arraigned Sunday on charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder and ordered held on $5 million bond. It wasn't clear Monday whether McKnight has an attorney and jail records didn't list one for him.
WeatherTech shooter held on $5 million bond
According to police, Charles C. McKnight Jr. had been working for WeatherTech in Bolingbrook for about two weeks when he was confronted by other employees after he robbed two of them at gunpoint. He fired on the employees who confronted him. | Photo: Bolingbrook Police

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (AP) — A temporary worker has been charged in a shooting that killed a co-worker and wounded two others at an automotive interior products warehouse in suburban Chicago, authorities said.

Charles McKnight Jr., 27, was arraigned Sunday on charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder and ordered held on $5 million bond.

It wasn't clear Monday whether McKnight has an attorney and jail records didn't list one for him.

Bolingbrook Police Chief Mike Rompa said in a statement that McKnight was confronted about 6:25 a.m. Saturday by employees at the WeatherTech facility in Bolingbrook who accused him of robbing two employees of a watch and wallet at gunpoint.[1] That led to an argument, which was followed by the shooting, Rompa said.

McKnight was arrested about three hours later near a home, authorities said, and a gun and the reportedly stolen items were recovered.

Central Hightower, 37, died following the shooting. A 25-year-old man was last listed by authorities in critical condition Saturday at a hospital, while a 43-year-old man was treated at a hospital and released.

Rompa said McKnight started working June 9 at WeatherTech through a temporary employment agency.


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Notes & References


  1. Press, Associated. “Police: 1 Slain, 2 Wounded in Bolingbrook Warehouse Shooting.” Chicago Journal. Chicago Journal, June 26, 2022. https://www.chicagojournal.com/police-1-slain-2-wounded-in-bolingbrook-warehouse-shooting/. ↩︎