A man recently photographed during an an anti-violence event with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has now been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a smash-and-grab at a Louis Vuitton store in downtown Chicago earlier this month.
Thirty-five-year-old Kellen McMiller was among seven people charged in what the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said was a “highly orchestrated smash-and-grab burglary” of the Louis Vuitton store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, which they said resulted in the death of an innocent man on his way to work. Those arrested in the burglary have since been charged with first-degree murder, among other charges.
In the days before the burglary, McMiller appeared among several so-called “peacekeepers” who joined together at an event with Pritzker, though the governor said he was not familiar with McMiller prior to the event.
“In Englewood today to meet with Peacekeepers who are working to create safer communities,” Pritzker captioned a social media clip from the event. “It’s folks like these that we need more of doing the hard work of community violence prevention, not troops on the ground to undermine efforts fighting crime.”
The caption alluded to comments from President Donald Trump threatening to send National Guard troops to the city to combat crime, a measure Pritzker has publicly criticized.
An image showing McMiller and Pritzker was taken down after his office learned of the arrest.
“The Governor meets hundreds of people in communities every week and is often asked to take photos. We were extremely troubled to learn that this individual was arrested for his alleged involvement in this serious crime, and we expect them to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement. “The Governor will keep doing everything in his power to fight crime, keep our neighborhoods safe, and support community violence intervention, which have been proven to work.”
The statement goes on to note that the Peacekeepers Program has a “strong track record” of reducing violent crime in recent years.
Chicago CRED, a nonprofit aiming to reduce violence in the city, said in a statement that initiatives like the Peacekeepers Program have, in part, helped bring the city to its safest summer in 60 years.
“Under the program, we intentionally recruit individuals who are closely connected to people at very high risk of shooting or being shot to help prevent shootings at many of the most violent locations in the city and suburbs. While they are not technically CVI staff, we train and manage them and provide them with a modest stipend,” the group said in a statement.
The statement noted that more than 1,300 men and women work with the program in Chicago and Cook County suburbs.
“Because many of them are justice-involved individuals who have experienced severe violence-related trauma, they sometimes make poor choices that can lead to tragic consequences. With that in mind, we are constantly enhancing our screening practices and additional supports,” the group said. “But the Peacekeepers Program remains a vital and effective component of Chicago’s public safety strategy, and we are deeply grateful to the State of Illinois for its support.”
Police said nearly $700,000 in merchandise was stolen from Louis Vuitton during the burglary. McMiller and several others charged in the attack remain hospitalized and have yet to appear in court.
Prosecutors said two suspects remain at-large.
The incident unfolded just before 5 a.m. on Sept. 11 when at least a dozen people in six stolen vehicles pulled up the designer store on Michigan Avenue, prosecutors said in court. Videos captured a pickup truck ramming the stores windows as the crew stole a large amount of merchandise, loaded it into their vehicles and fled.
One of the vehicles, a black Kia, was traveling around 77 miles per hour down Michigan Avenue, continuing through multiple red lights when it collided with a Honda CRV driven by 40-year-old Mark Arceta, a Skokie man on his way to work.
Arceta was headed for his final shift before paternity leave when he was killed. His wife gave birth shortly after the crash, prosecutors said.
“This case is a heartbreaking example of the threat that these organized retail theft operations pose to the entire community. Not only is the economic vitality of our city compromised by these crimes, but these offenders pose a physical danger to every one of us who live and work here,” State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said in a statement. “We will not tolerate it, and we will continue to seek detention and use all of our prosecutorial tools to bring accountability and appropriate charges to those who commit these brazen attacks.”
The full list of individuals charged with first-degree murder, burglar and retail theft include:
· Darius Bowdry, 30
· Harvey Fisher, 26
· Alton Jackson, 37
· Kellen McMiller, 35
· Dejuan Wingard, 30
· Anthony Hemphill, 22
· Keith Perkins, 19
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