Joliet police chief says department increasing efforts to slow gun violence

Joliet’s police chief said the high number of shootings in the past week are an “anomaly” but the department nevertheless has committed to boosting efforts to crack down on gun violence.

On Thursday, Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans told the Herald-News there’s no link between any of the eight shootings reported across the west and east sides of the city since July 24. Of the eight shootings, three people have been wounded.

“We really don’t have a rhyme or reason for any of these shootings,” Evans said.

Evans said he couldn’t speak to the motive behind the shootings or say if they related to gangs as the investigations remain ongoing. He said the police will know more as the investigations progress and detectives are “putting a lot of effort” into those cases.

Evans said the city was statistically “in very good shape” when it came to gun violence before the past week’s shootings.

“It’s not something we see very often,” he said.

Evans said the police department is increasing patrols, increasing police coverage in the downtown area and placing a camera downtown. The city has already been installing more Flock Safety cameras, which track vehicle license plates, he said.

“We need the community’s help as much as they need ours.”

—  Bill Evans, Joliet police chief

Evans said his department has taken these shootings seriously and they’re doing everything they can to ensure people are safe. He said he knows his detectives not only have an “outstanding track record” of solving homicides but shootings as well.

“If [the shooters] are out there, we’re going to find them,” Evans said.

In recent months, detectives made arrests in the fatal shooting of Fernando Contreras, 23, on June 1 on Krakar Avenue. They’ve also worked with the Crest Hill Police Department to secure arrests in the shootout that took place on April 2 near Merichka’s restaurant.

Still, Evans said the police department needs help from the community and families of shooting victims with these cases. He said people with any information or videos related to the shooting should contact them.

“We need the community’s help as much as they need ours,” Evans said.

While the motive behind many of the eight shootings are not clear, at least two of them appeared to have stemmed from either a confrontation or an argument.

On July 25 at Pilcher Park, two men suffered gunshot wounds following a confrontation with each other. On Monday, a man near the downtown parking deck had argument with the suspect before the latter displayed a handgun and fired multiple shots.

Evans said from Jan. 1 until Aug. 1, the police department has taken more than 125 firearms off the street and recently recovered several other firearms and a shotgun. He said the work that led to the recovery of those firearms was the “result of proactive policing.”

Evans encourages anyone who knows anything about the recent shootings to come forward. He said if they want to remain anonymous, they can do so with Crime Stoppers of Will County.

The organization’s number is 800-323-6734 and their website is crimestoppersofwillcounty.org.

“Somebody has seen these shootings,” Evans said. “Somebody knows what happened.”