Man Gets 22 Years For Shooting Dollar General Worker In Lake County

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for a 2022 shooting that seriously injured a worker at a Dollar General in Waukegan, authorities announced.

Kaleb Brown was sentenced Wednesday, April 22, 2026, by a Lake County judge to the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was convicted in December 2025 of aggravated battery with a firearm following a jury trial.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the shooting caused devastating injuries and had a lasting impact on the community, adding that prosecutors worked to ensure the offender received a lengthy prison sentence while continuing to support the victim, according to a news release.

During the sentencing hearing, a former Zion police officer testified that in June 2022, Brown fled from a traffic stop while a passenger in a vehicle. Officers later recovered two firearms from the vehicle, and forensic testing showed Brown’s DNA on one of the weapons.

Jurors also saw jail surveillance footage from January 2026 showing Brown involved in a physical altercation with multiple inmates while in custody, according to prosecutors.

The victim submitted a statement describing the lasting physical and emotional toll of the shooting, including how it forced him to give up several life goals, according to the state's attorney's office.

Prosecutors argued Brown’s actions demonstrated a continued pattern of violent behavior and disregard for human life, both in the community and while incarcerated, and urged the court to impose a sentence toward the higher end of the statutory range.

Aggravated battery with a firearm carries a sentencing range of 6 to 30 years in prison and must be served at 85%, according to Illinois law.