On May 25, 2023, a tragic shooting occurred in the 800 block of Campus Avenue in Matteson, Illinois, resulting in the death of 9-year-old O'Mauri Jones-Brown. The incident began as an altercation between two groups of young people, which initially started in a nearby suburb and escalated to the residence where O'Mauri lived. According to his grandmother, Denise Jones, the fight involved several girls and a teenage boy who were associated with the other group. After the physical altercation seemed to end, the teenage boy pulled out a gun and started shooting as O'Mauri's family was returning to their house.
O'Mauri, who was not involved in the fight, was shot in the abdomen and died shortly after arrival at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Hospital. Despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at approximately 6:55 p.m..
The shooting also resulted in a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to a 20-year-old woman, who self-transported to St. James Hospital. Denise Jones, O'Mauri's grandmother, was grazed by a bullet, and her son was also shot in the leg but survived.
O'Mauri was a third-grader at Arcadia Elementary School in Olympia Fields and was described by his family and school officials as an honor roll student who loved to dance and had a strong bond with his family. He had chosen to stay with his grandmother in Matteson to avoid the violence in Chicago, where his mother had moved.
The investigation into the shooting was conducted by the Matteson Police Department and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. After a months-long investigation, 21-year-old Daekwon A. Robinson of Chicago was identified as the suspected shooter. Robinson was arrested on September 26, 2023, for an unrelated weapons offense and subsequently charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in connection with O'Mauri's death.
The community of Matteson was deeply affected by the tragedy, with Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin expressing heartfelt condolences to the family and emphasizing the community's collective grief. The school district also provided grief counselors for students, teachers, and staff at Arcadia Elementary School.
