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The last month of 2019 saw a shooting crime wave that left 18 people the victims of shootings in the city of Joliet, Illinois and, thus far, only two arrests have been made, as an unknown number of suspects remain at large.
It took a Joliet Patch Freedom of Information Act request to uncover the real truth about how many shootings actually occurred in the city of Joliet, Illinois in December 2019. The tally was 18 people shot in 10 separate incidents.
The media had to go the extra mile to uncover the facts because the police department is not publicizing the information regarding the actual amount of violent crime that is happening there.
The city of Joliet’s Police Department only publicizes information about violent crime when it is a homicide.
The month of December 2019 saw 18 people get shot, which left one person dead. On Christmas Eve alone, seven people were hospitalized in two separate shootings.
An incident occurred on December 20 where one victim was killed in broad daylight. On a Friday afternoon, Quentin Woods, 38, was gunned down on the sidewalk in close proximity to Saint Ray’s Cathedral.
A 36-year-old woman who was with Woods was also shot in the stomach, but survived. In that case, an arrest was made. Matthew Rutledge, 37, was charged with first-degree murder.
On December 8, a 36-year-old man was shot at 412 Summit St. and an arrest was made.
On Christmas Eve, five people were wounded in one shooting incident, and two other people shot in another.
According to records, the Joliet Police Department responded to a total of 10 separate city addresses in the month of December in which someone was wounded by gunfire. The total number of shootings averages to roughly one incident every three days.
However, in the aftermath of these 18 shootings, there were only arrests made in two of the cases. That means there are at least eight or more shooters still unidentified and roaming the streets.
Here are the unresolved cases that involve 15 victims:
