Prosecutors drop murder charge in Joliet West Side shootout case

Prosecutors dropped murder charges against the last remaining defendant who was arrested after a deadly shootout on Joliet’s West Side.

On Tuesday, Jeremiah Gavin, 23, of Crest Hill agreed to plead guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon by felon in connection with the Feb. 7, 2020, shootout that resulted in the death of 17-year-old Jeremiah Frazier.

The shooting occurred about a block away from AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.

After plea negotiations with Gavin’s attorney, Steven Haney, prosecutors dropped charges of reckless discharge of a firearm charge and murder.

Gavin is the second defendant in the case whose murder charges were dismissed. His co-defendant, Rasean Stokes, 19, of Joliet also had been charged with killing Frazier but ultimately pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempting to obstruct justice.

As a result, no one has been convicted of causing Frazier’s death in the West Side shootout.

When asked why the state’s attorney’s office agreed to dismiss the murder charge against Gavin, Will County State’s Attorney spokeswoman Carole Cheney said the plea agreement has been impounded.

“It would therefore be improper at the present time for our office to discuss reasons for the plea, as such discussion would be intertwined with the substance of any plea agreement reached,” Cheney said.

Judge Kenneth Zelazo agreed with the prosecutors’ recommendation to sentence Gavin to 10 years in prison. Gavin must serve at least half that time and he was given credit for 515 days already served in jail, which puts his actual prison time at closer to 3 years and 7 months.

Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Deborah Mills told Zelazo that the state’s evidence would show Gavin was a passenger in a Pontiac Bonneville driven by Stokes that was traveling south on Republic Avenue before the shooting.

Mills said Gavin possessed a firearm at that time and he previously was convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a 2018 case.

“The defendant fired the firearm towards a Chevrolet Aveo that was traveling in the opposite direction,” Mills said.

She said there was one individual from the Chevrolet, whom she did not identify, who was firing at the Pontiac, and Javontae Gray, 23, of Joliet was the driver of the Chevrolet.

Joliet police Sgt. Aaron Bandy, one of the detectives in the case, told the grand jury of an ongoing investigation regarding the possible involvement of a third man as the shooter from Gray’s vehicle, court records show.

Mills said Frazier was the front seat passenger in Gray’s vehicle and he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

She told Zelazo that the state’s attorney’s office communicated with Frazier’s family regarding the outcome of Gavin’s case.

According to Frazier’s obituary, he attended Joliet West High School, was employed at the Symphony of Joliet nursing home and was the father of a young girl.

Gray initially was charged with firing a gun at Stokes’ Pontiac, but that was dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea to the charge of obstructing justice, in part of which he had concealed a cellphone from detectives.

Gray was released from custody after the conclusion of his case but he was back in jail June 13 when Joliet police officers arrested a man they said was carrying a loaded gun.