Inset: Devonta Hodge (Cook County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Amazon Fulfillment Center in Matteson, Illinois (Google Maps).
An Indiana man has been jailed in Illinois after authorities say he fatally shot another man during a confrontation in the parking lot of an Amazon facility.
Devonta Hodge, 33, is charged with one count of homicide in connection with the June 28 killing of Dylan Perkins, 26, police said.
The shooting happened late Sunday night outside the Amazon Fulfillment Center on Vollmer Road in Matteson, a suburban village about 30 miles south of Chicago.
“This was a senseless killing,” Cook County Judge Torrie Luciana Corbin wrote in an order requiring Hodge to remain in custody while awaiting trial, according to a courtroom report by the Chicago Tribune.
Matteson police said officers were called to the scene shortly before 11 p.m. and discovered Perkins with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso.
During a Thursday court hearing, prosecutors described Hodge as a DoorDash delivery driver and said Perkins worked at the Amazon site as a janitorial employee.
Prosecutors said Perkins was taking a break with two co-workers when Hodge arrived. As the delivery driver walked by, Perkins allegedly made “a joking comment about (Hodge’s) height.” After completing the delivery, Hodge was approached by Perkins, authorities said.
In an ensuing altercation, Hodge allegedly pushed Perkins away from him twice before taking out a gun and shooting him multiple times before fleeing, according to law enforcement.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The entire incident was captured on surveillance footage, and Hodge was soon identified as the DoorDash driver, prosecutors said. The defendant was arrested on June 30 after he voluntarily came to the Matteson police station to speak with investigators.
Prosecutors said Hodge has a valid Firearm Owners Identification but does not have a concealed carry permit. The state also said the defendant has a prior conviction for unlawful use of a weapon.
In her order, the judge wrote that Hodge “demonstrated emotional immaturity in how to resolve conflicts” and later “attempted to avoid responsibility by returning the vehicle he was driving to the owner and lying and saying the vehicle was missing.”
The defendant is being detained in the Cook County Jail with no bond, records show. He is next slated to appear in court on July 16.
