2 Joliet officers shoot armed man who refused to put down gun: cops

Two Joliet police officers shot a 29-year-old man who was reportedly armed with a firearm and refused their commands to put it down, according to a task force investigating the incident.

The shooting took place about 5 p.m. Monday at Elmwood and Bennett avenues, said Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English.

The Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force was called to the scene to investigate the shooting. The task force is composed of multiple law enforcement agencies that typically investigate such incidents.

Officers were sent to the 600 block of Elmwood Avenue for a report of shots fired, English said. They encountered a man who was walking while holding a handgun.

Officers “discharged their weapons,” striking the man, English said.

English directed further questions about the incident to the task force.

Will County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Dan Jungles, the leader of the task force, said his team received reports from Joliet police that an armed 29-year-old man was “brandishing a firearm” and he was told by officers 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,” Jungles said.

He said the man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

“A firearm was recovered at the scene, and detectives with the [task force] conducted numerous interviews and conducted a neighborhood canvass of the area,” Jungles said.

Jungles said the man’s identity is being withheld at this time pending notification to the family.