Delaware man charged after King of Prussia Mall armed robbery

Charges have been filed against the armed man police shot Sunday afternoon in a crowded King of Prussia Mall parking garage, according to court documents, after he allegedly robbed a woman at gunpoint in the same location the day before.

Kalin Jackson, 23, of New Castle, Del., faces 19 counts, including five felonies for robbery and possession of a firearm without a license. Authorities say he jumped in the backseat of a woman's car, held a gun to her head, and demanded her purse around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

"Don't move, don't move," Jackson allegedly told the woman, according to court documents released Tuesday, and then reached over the seat to grab her handbag, which contained credit cards, cash, her driver's license, and a cellphone.

He exited her vehicle, according to the documents, and drove off quickly in a maroon 2012 Kia Sorento, which authorities believe he stole Friday in a carjacking, robbery, and kidnapping of an 87-year-old man in Claymont, Del.

As she had exited the mall near Nordstrom, the woman told police, she had noticed a man backing the SUV into the spot next to her car, according to the documents.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, Upper Merion police said Jackson had yet to be arraigned on the charges because he was still undergoing medical treatment for multiple gunshot wounds. He remained at Paoli Hospital on Tuesday in serious condition.

Jackson was also identified by New Castle County Police and in Montgomery County court documents as a suspect in two other violent crimes — a domestic-related shooting Thursday and the carjacking and kidnapping on Friday, both in the Wilmington area. Authorities said a warrant was out for his arrest on charges related to last week's incidents.

Delaware police had been tracking Jackson using electronic surveillance, according to court documents, and saw he was back in the area of the King of Prussia Mall shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday.

Upon being notified of this, Upper Merion police tracked Jackson to the second floor of the multilevel Green Parking Deck that connects to the Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor department stores. It was the same location where he had allegedly robbed the woman on Saturday, police said.

When authorities approached the SUV, Jackson drove off, rammed two squad cars, and attempted to hit officers who were on foot, according to police. Montgomery County court records show no charges have been filed against Jackson in connection with the Sunday altercation.

Upper Merion Police Chief Thomas Nolan said more than one officer fired at Jackson but did not disclose how many officers were involved or how many times the suspect was shot.

Inside the SUV, authorities found a 9mm black-and-pink Glock handgun, the same type of gun believed to have been used in the three previous alleged crimes, as well as the Saturday victim's credit cards and her driver's license.

No attorney for Jackson was listed on court documents Tuesday and a call to the number listed for his New Castle home indicated the line had been disconnected.

Jackson has a lengthy criminal history in Delaware, beginning when he was 16, according to the Wilmington News Journal.

He did not have a permit to carry a gun, according to court documents, and was barred from possessing one due to a 2013 burglary conviction in Delaware. The gun in his possession was believed to have been stolen during the domestic-related shooting in Delaware on Thursday, according to the documents.

Because Sunday's incident included a police-involved shooting, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is investigating those events. Officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation into whether the use of deadly force was lawful in that situation.

The mall released a statement saying no customers or employees were injured Sunday.

King of Prussia, a 400-plus store complex about 20 miles from Philadelphia, contains more retail space than any other mall in the country and attracts more than 20 million shoppers each year. On Sunday, the area was bustling with folks who chose to spend the rainy afternoon shopping.

Among them was Margie Cherry, a career counselor from Havertown. She said she parked on the first floor of the Green Parking Deck around 3:30 p.m. and made her way into Nordstrom.

She was eating a cilantro lime chicken salad at the Nordstrom Cafe when she and about 15 other diners heard a muffled announcement come across the public-address system in the department store outside. The announcement ended with an instruction to remain in place, she said.

"Everybody looked at each other," Cherry said, "and we were like, 'What did they just say?'‌ "

As they returned to their meals, customers inside the cafe began chatting among themselves and looking for clues on their cellphones. But when patrons Googled news about the King of Prussia Mall,  nothing popped up, except a report about the armed robbery the day before and a year-old story about a stolen baby.

"The scenarios run through your mind," Cherry said. "Maybe there's a shooter in the mall. Maybe there's an explosive."

In the moment, Cherry said, no one seemed fearful. Aside from one little girl who needed to be calmed down by a cashier, even children appeared antsy but not frightened.

A second announcement to stay in place was made about 10 minutes later, and soon enough shoppers were flooding into the cafe, presumably upon realizing they couldn't exit, Cherry said. The "stay in place" warning remained for about an hour, she said.

"People were concerned and people were buzzing," Cherry said, but "there was not a sense of panic."

Cherry, who has two grown daughters, said she has visited the mall often and never felt unsafe. And on Sunday, she said, she felt if customers were in danger, they would have been told to evacuate.

"There is a sense of unreality, too," Cherry said. "Nothing bad can really be happening here."

Staff writer Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this article.