Joliet teen charged with shooting another teen after party

A Joliet teen has been charged with shooting another teen in the leg during an attempted robbery and then chasing after the victim while firing more shots, prosecutors said.

The shooting occurred about 10:20 p.m. June 7 after a basement party at a residence in the 900 block of West Marion Street in Joliet, according to a petition to deny pretrial release filed by Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Fitzgerald.

Jeremy Franklin, 18, faces a charge of aggravated battery with a firearm, attempted armed robbery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.

A 17-year-old attendee of the Marion Street party told police investigators that he was speaking with his friends in the driveway of the residence when he was approached by Franklin, Fitzgerald said.

Franklin pulled out a firearm and pointed it at the teen’s chest, Fitzgerald said. Franklin grabbed the teen’s necklace and told him to “run me you (sic) chain,” Fitzgerald said.

But the 17-year-old removed Franklin’s hand from his chest and tucked his necklace into his shirt, Fitzgerald said. Franklin then allegedly pointed the gun at the ground and fired off a single shot.

The 17-year-old fled the scene – running through streets and yards – while Franklin chased after him, Fitzgerald said.

The teen reported hearing “fully automatic gunfire in his direction,” Fitzgerald said.

One of the partygoers told police that “everyone began to run west” from the Marion Street residence after hearing gunfire, Fitzgerald said.

The 17-year-old made it to Walt’s Ice Cream, 1314 W. Jefferson St., where he “flagged down an unknown stranger” who dropped him off at his home, Fitzgerald said.

The teen did not notice he had been shot in the leg until he arrived home, Fitzgerald said.

The teen told police that he had no past conflicts with Franklin, and he’s not a member of any street gang, Fitzgerald said. But the teen accused Franklin of being a member of a “well-known Joliet street gang” featured on a YouTube channel, Fitzgerald said.

The investigation of the shooting led officers to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Franklin, Fitzgerald said.

Officers found that Franklin had an 18-year-old passenger with a gunshot wound to his left knee and shin, Fitzgerald said. The teen was treated and hospitalized, Fitzgerald said.

Officers also found that Deve’juan Norris, 20, of Shorewood, another passenger, was in possession of a handgun, Fitzgerald said. Norris said he saw the gun lying on the ground on Marion Street, picked it up and put it in his pants, Fitzgerald said.

Officers also discovered that there was a ghost gun in the vehicle, Fitzgerald said. Those are privately made firearms that are difficult to trace by police.

Norris has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon, which was reported stolen out of Oswego, Fitzgerald said.

The 18-year-old passenger who was shot told police that when he left the Marion Street party, he was shot at by two people he didn’t know, Fitzgerald said.

He could not provide further information, but he said he had “ops,” or opposers who wanted to kill him, Fitzgerald said.