Joliet DCFS office reopens after being struck by gunfire

The Department of Children and Family Services office in Joliet reopened Tuesday, less than two weeks after being struck by gunfire.

William McCaffrey, an Illinois DCFS spokesman, confirmed in an email this week that the office is reopening.

Joliet police responded to the office, located inside the Jefferson Centre plaza in the 1600 block of West Jefferson Street, at 2:22 a.m. May 21. Shots had been fired in the area. When officers arrived, they found the front windows and doors of the building damaged by the gunfire.

Officers also found multiple spent shell casings in the parking lot.

Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said the investigation into the shooting is “active and still ongoing.”

McCaffrey previously told The Herald-News that DCFS workers based in Joliet still were performing their jobs and “following the remote worker protocols” established during the COVID-19 pandemic while the office was closed.

On Wednesday, the front windows were still boarded up.

John Bays, of Bays Investment Corporation, which owns the building, said he’s been working to secure the supplies to replace the doors and windows. While he said the two front doors have been replaced, he’s still waiting for new front windows that he expects to arrive later this week.