Update: Suspect, Wielding Gun In Joliet Identified
The Office of Will County Coroner Laurie Summers is reporting the death of Victor Harris Jr., a 29-year-old resident of Joliet who was pronounced deceased at 5:22 PM on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at Silver Cross Hospital ICU in New Lenox. On Monday, July 17,2023, Victor was allegedly shot in an officer involved shooting in the 600 block of Elmwood Avenue in Joliet. The Will/Grundy Major Crimes Taskforce is investigating this incident. An autopsy was performed today, Thursday, July 20, 2023. The final cause and manner of death will be determined at a a later date pending autopsy and toxicology reports.
We’re learning more about the suspect shot by Joliet police officers. Here is a timeline of events as recorded by the Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force.
On 07/17/2023, at 5:16 PM, the Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force (WGMCTF) was contacted by members of the Joliet Police Department (JPD) regarding an Officer Involved Shooting (OIS). JPD requested the assistance of the WGMCTF in investigating the OIS incident pursuant to the Illinois Police and Community Relations Improvement Act (50 ILCS 727/1-1).
The following information is what the WGMCTF knows currently. This is an ongoing investigation, and information may change or develop over time. The following information is a brief synopsis of what occurred involving this OIS incident.
Members of the WGMCTF were advised that at approximately 4:56 PM, officers with the JPD were dispatched to the area of the 600 block of Elmwood Avenue in Joliet for a report of shots fired.
Shortly thereafter, officers with the JPD arrived on scene and encountered an armed individual brandishing a firearm. According to reports received to the WGMCTF, the Joliet police officers began to order the armed individual to put the weapon down. The armed individual refused to comply with officers’ orders. Two Joliet police officers fired at the armed suspect, striking him numerous times. The suspect is a twenty-nine-year-old black, male from Joliet. The suspect was transported to Silver Cross Hospital in critical condition and underwent surgery for injuries sustained in the OIS.
The firearm that the suspect was holding was recovered at the scene. Detectives with the WGMCTF conducted numerous interviews and conducted a neighborhood canvass of the area, while Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) gathered additional evidence.
On 07/18/2023 at approximately 5:25 PM members of the WGMCTF were advised by the JPD that the twenty-nine-year-old suspect had succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by medical staff at Silver Cross Hospital.
The autopsy by the medical pathologist at the Will County Coroner’s Office is scheduled for 07/20/2023. The identity of the suspect will be released by the Will County Coroner’s Office upon completion of the autopsy. In addition, the Will County Coroner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death.
The WGMCTF is investigating this use of force incident and additional information will be released when appropriate.
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