Teen shot by officer in Joliet charged with home invasion, assault

A teen who was shot by a police officer after allegedly breaking into the home in Joliet was armed with a BB gun at the time of the incident, police said.

The 17-year-old male accused of the Dec. 13 home invasion was shot once in the arm by an officer after refusing numerous commands to drop what was later determined to be a BB gun, according to a statement on Tuesday from Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

The teen had also raised the gun at the officer during the confrontation, English said.

After a brief hospital stay, the teen was taken on Dec. 15 to the River Valley Juvenile Detention Center. He faces charges of home invasion, residential burglary and aggravated assault, English said.

The incident that led to the officer’s shooting of the teen on Dec. 13 began when police received multiple 911 calls regarding a suspect pointing a gun at a residence, English said.

While officers were on their way, they learned the suspect had broke a window to the back door of the residence in order to get inside.

An officer arrived on scene and encountered the suspect in the rear of the residence, English said.

The suspect ignored the officer’s commands to drop the gun and he was shot after he walked toward the officer, police said.

The Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force was called to the scene to investigate the shooting. The task force is often contacted by police departments in Will County to investigate those incidents.