Man wounded in police shooting had sued Joliet mayor in 2020

The 31-year-old man who was critically wounded in a Joliet police shooting last weekend was involved in a lawsuit almost three years ago against outgoing Mayor Bob O’Dekirk.

Jamal Smith, 31, of Joliet is the man shot by police Saturday in the 900 block of Lois Place in Joliet, according to Ken Kroll, spokesman for the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force, the outside agency investigating the incident.

Attorney Lawrence O’Reilly said Smith was one of two plaintiffs in the 2020 federal lawsuit case against O’Dekirk that resulted in a $93,000 settlement paid by the City of Joliet. O’Reilly was one of the attorneys in that case.

Kroll said Smith is in critical condition at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

Kroll declined to answer further questions about the incident, saying the officers “involved in this shooting will be interviewed in the next couple/few days.” He said the investigation is still active.

“I am going to hold off on additional specific detail at least until those crucial interviews are conducted,” Kroll said.

The events leading to the police shooting of Smith began at 4:47 a.m. on Saturday when officers received a call of a possible domestic disturbance near an apartment building in the 900 block of Lois Place, according to a statement provided by Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

When officers arrived on scene, they encountered a man “actively firing a handgun,” English said.

Officers “discharged their weapons, striking the suspect,” he said.

Officers then rendered medical assistance to the man, following the shooting, English said. A handgun was recovered at the scene and the man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, he said.

On Sept. 10, 2020, Smith and Victor Williams had sued O’Dekirk and five Joliet police officers over a May 31, 2020, altercation, which took place at a Joliet protest over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The altercation was one of the more contentious periods in O’Dekirk’s mayoral tenure and led to further protests and calls for his resignation.

Although Smith and Williams had been arrested after the incident, they were never formally charged.

Special Prosecutor Bill Elward oversaw the case at the request of Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, who said he was falsely accused by O’Dekirk’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak, of steering the investigation away from O’Dekirk being a victim in the incident.

After an Illinois State Police investigation, Elward ultimately declined to file charges against O’Dekirk. In a letter to Will County Chief Judge Dan Kennedy, Elward nevertheless criticized O’Dekirk for his “poor judgement in the incident.”

Both parties in the lawsuit case announced a settlement was reached on Jan. 11, 2022. As part of the latest settlement, Williams and Smith agreed to drop all claims against O’Dekirk and the five police officers listed as defendants in the case.