Man charged with wounding child in Joliet shooting

An 19-year-old who was already arrested in connection with the Sept. 25 shooting of a 6-year-old boy in Joliet has now been formally charged with wounding him in the incident.

On Friday, Judge Victoria Breslan signed a warrant for the arrest of Darrell Harris, 19, of Joliet, on new charges of aggravated battery, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault.

Harris was 18 when he was booked into the Will County jail on Oct. 1 on charges of unlawfully possessing a loaded Glock 9 mm handgun in connection with the Sept. 25 shooting.

The new charges against Harris alleged he shot a 6-year-old with a 9 mm Glock handgun while inside of a Kia sedan.

Harris was one of five people inside of the vehicle on Sept. 25 that was involved in the shooting in the 500 block of Bellarmine Drive West in Joliet, according to Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

The vehicle later crashed into a tree while fleeing from police, English said. All five suspects were arrested and officers recovered a rifle and a handgun from the vehicle, he said.

The 6-year-old boy suffered a grazed gunshot wound to his arm, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said. The boy has since been released from the hospital.

In a statement, Joliet Police Chief William Evans said he was proud of the detectives’ “dedication and perseverance in pursuing this case, and we wish the young victim of this horrible act nothing but the best.”

“The Joliet Police Department will never relent in its pursuit of those who prey on our most defenseless residents,” Evans said. “We appreciate the Will County Sheriff’s Office’s help in this matter.”

Harris has two criminal cases pending against him over the same Sept. 25 shooting, plus another charge of domestic battery. That charge alleged he struck a minor in the face on Feb. 28.

With all three cases, Harris’ bond is now just more than $1 million. He’ll need to post about 10% of that amount – or $102,500 – for his release from jail.