Joliet man dead after late-night shooting in Joliet Township

Joliet Township — A Joliet man was pronounced dead early Sunday morning after two houses were hit with gunfire in the 1300 block of Pico Court in Joliet Township.

According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the area about midnight Sunday to respond to multiple reports of shots fired.

Two houses had been shot, and while responding to the scene, deputies discovered one injured person inside one of the residences, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies found a 34-year-old man from Joliet inside one of the bedrooms of a house that was struck by gunfire. He had a gunshot wound to his abdomen, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Responding deputies began providing lifesaving measures to the victim until paramedics arrived from the East Joliet Fire Protection District,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The man was transported to St. Josephs Hospital in Joliet, but later succumbed to his injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

The office of Will County Coroner Laurie H. Summers confirmed the victim’s identity as Branden C. Pierce, and declared the cause of death as “an apparent homicide” in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon.

Detectives and crime scene investigators have conducted an investigation of the scene, and final autopsy and toxicology reports are pending from the coroner’s office.

According to the sheriff’s office, surveillance video spotted an unknown vehicle in the area just before the shooting.

“This shooting appears to be an isolated, targeted attack and not a random act of violence,” the sheriff’s office said in the release.

Residents are asked to avoid the area of the crime scene if possible, as police investigations are ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Detective Tom Hannon with the Will County Sheriff’s office or to submit a tip on the Will County Sheriff’s website.

Police said more information will be released “when appropriate” as the investigation continues.