Joliet sees 3 homicides in 1 week

Joliet has seen an uptick in violence in the early summer season with three slayings across the city.

One of the homicide victims, Antoine Shropshire, 16, was shot several times May 30 in what police have said was a targeted shooting. They have not yet announced the arrest of any suspects in Shropshire’s slaying.

We are always hopeful in receiving further cooperation from our community in bringing these suspects to justice.

—  Bill Evans, Joliet police chief

“This kid being shot, it’s just part of the national violence that we have all over, and it is difficult to deal with,” said Doug Kasper, a leader of NonViolent Cities Project in Joliet.

Kasper contends the nation is caught in a “culture of violence and we got to change it to a culture of nonviolence.”

That message is similar to what was said at the June 3 vigil for Shropshire where people called for more community action against street violence. Police officials also have been seeking more community involvement in the killings that have gone unsolved without an arrest.

“We share in the community’s concern about the three recent tragic and violent incidents that have resulted in the loss of life in our city over the past week,” Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said in a statement.

Evans said his department remains “committed to addressing public safety.” He said its detectives and officers continue to “work tirelessly to bring a swift resolution to these serious cases.”

“We are always hopeful in receiving further cooperation from our community in bringing these suspects to justice,” Evans said.

In the Shropshire case, police have released photos and videos of what they described as two male suspects. On Wednesday, the department released more video footage and have asked residents in Joliet and beyond to help identify the suspects.

The latest homicide in Joliet occurred Tuesday with the shooting of a 20-year-old man in the 600 block of East Benton Street. No arrests have been announced for that incident in which the man died from a gunshot wound to the head. The department said the “shooting was an isolated and targeted incident.”

The Will County Coroner’s Office has withheld the name of the 20-year-old victim in that shooting because his next of kin have yet to be notified. He remains unnamed as of Thursday afternoon.

The coroner’s office has also not named the 23-year-old victim who died Monday following a brutal beating in the 1000 block of Kelly Avenue in Joliet. Although court documents list the victim’s name as Taylor Guerra. Demetrius Glover, 30, has been charged with battering Guerra.

Shropshire also has not been named by the coroner’s office because he is a juvenile, even though juvenile victims of homicides have been named in the past such as Javier Cayetano, 13, in 2019 and Jeremiah Frazier, 17, in 2020.

Trista Graves Brown, a Joliet resident and founder of the nonprofit group Speak Up, said she believes police officers need to be more visible in the community.

“Anywhere there’s children, there should always be a police officer. Anywhere there’s people outside,” Brown said.

Brown said officers should pay more attention to “young people and what they’re doing” and know more about people in the community.

Brown said she believes some of the recent violence in Joliet is committed by people outside of the city. She cited the May 30 incident where Joliet police officers pursued four car thieves who were from Chicago. She said she’s heard from people that Joliet is perceived to be “an easy target.”

Kasper said Nonviolent Cities Project seeks to address the “root causes of violence,” such as economic disparity and racism.

“I think all of those things add to and fuel the violence,” he said.

Kasper said the area where Shropshire was killed is a “depressed, poor area” although he applauds the Warren-Sharpe Community Center’s efforts to help the area. He said he’s addressing mental health issues, lack of affordable housing and wages would “slow down and curb the violence that we have.”

Kasper said violence is a “big, difficult issue.”

“We have to understand what these kids are up against,” he said.

Police have asked anyone with information on the deaths of Shropshire, Guerra and the 20-year-old man to contact their investigation division at 815-724-3020.

If anyone wishes to remain anonymous, they can contact Crime Stoppers of Will County at 800-323-6734 or visit the organization’s website at crimestoppersofwillcounty.org.