New details in deadly stabbing at suburban Chick-fil-A; 19-year-old in custody

New details are emerging after a fatal stabbing at an Oswego Chick-fil-A, with a 19-year-old suburban Chicago man facing nearly a dozen felony charges in connection with the deadly incident.

The stabbings, which took place early Wednesday morning at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 2700 block of Route 34, left a delivery driver killed and a maintenance worker injured, investigators said.

“This was an unprovoked attack and resulted in a tragic loss of life,” Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin said in a release. “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this tragic incident.”

According to the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office, Darryl Lee Jr., 19, of Kankakee, was charged Thursday afternoon in connection with the crime. He faces 11 felony charges, including first degree murder, attempted first degree murder and concealment of homicidal death. He is set to make his first court appearance Friday.

How the Oswego Chick-fil-A stabbings unfolded

About 5 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to the Chick-fil-A on the 2700 block of Route 34 in Oswego for a report of a stabbing in progress.

Upon arrival officers, found the suspect, Lee, being restrained by two contracted maintenance workers, police said. They immediately took the Lee into custody and began providing medical aid to a maintenance worker who was injured.

The worker, a 20-year-old man, was then transported to a nearby hospital where he remains in stable condition.

Following statements made by Lee, officers conducted a sweep of the restaurant and found another victim inside. The victim, identified as Tracey J. Land, 52, of Bridgeview, was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. According to an autopsy, Land, a delivery driver, suffered multiple traumatic injuries.

As of Friday morning, the final cause and manner of death was still pending.

Investigators say Land was making a delivery to the restaurant about 3:10 a.m. when Lee broke into the building and began attacking Land with a hammer and knife. Police believe Lee remained inside the restaurant and attempted to clean-up the crime scene.

About 4:56 a.m., Lee exited the restaurant, encountered by maintenance workers outside who were unaware of the incident. Lee then began attacking a 20-year-old maintenance worker, stabbing him from behind with a knife, police said.

The worker was able to subdue Lee with the assistance of the worker’s mother, who was also onsite working.

“The Oswego Police Department would like to acknowledge the courageous acts of these two workers, a son and a mother, which resulted in the capture of the offender,” the release said.

According to authorities, Lee had a previous interaction with officers in September 2025 for a “suspicious circumstances call,” when Lee had called the department to say he saw two people inside a vehicle with handguns.

Responding officers were not able to corroborate the information provided by Lee, the release said, and the Oswego Police had no other contact with him.

According to the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office, Lee, who remains in custody in the Kendall County Jail, was facing the following charges:

  • First Degree Murder (Class M Felony)
  • Attempted First Degree Murder (Class X Felony)
  • Concealment of Homicidal Death (Class 3 Felony)
  • Aggravated Battery (Class 3 Felony)
  • Armed Robbery (Class X Felony)
  • Armed Violence (Class X Felony)
  • Burglary (Class 2 Felony)

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