$1M Bail For 2 Joliet Brothers In Miami Street Shooting

JOLIET, IL — John Roy Hernandez Jr., 20, and his 21-year-old brother Angel Santiago-Vargas are back in the Will County Jail, facing a $1 million bail, following Tuesday's 11 p.m. shooting in the 500 block of Joliet Township's Miami Street.

The woman suffered two gunshot wounds and the man was not injured by the gunfire, Will County Sheriff's spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer notified Joliet Patch. The two were outside on their porch when Hernandez and his older brother fired several gunshots at the couple, according to sheriff's reports.

The woman who was shot in her right elbow and the top of her right foot is in her 30s. Her injuries are not life-threatening. An East Joliet Fire Department ambulance rushed her to Silver Cross Hospital where she was treated and released.

The man who was with her is in his 40s. The victims identified the shooters as Hernandez, Jr. and his brother, Santiago-Vargas, sheriff's officials noted.

Will County sheriff's deputies found 11 9 mm handgun casings in the roadway, broken glass to the front door, and multiple bullet holes in the siding of the home on Miami Street.

"Due to deputies' prior knowledge and several prior encounters with Hernandez, Jr. and Santiago-Vargas, several deputies and Joliet police officers responded to the area of the 700 block of Garnsey Avenue where the suspects were known to frequent," Hoffmeyer stated.

When police spotted the brothers, they tried to make a run for it, but the police officers captured them, Hoffmeyer stated.

Both Hernandez and his brother refused to be interviewed in connection with Tuesday night's shooting, Hoffmeyer indicated.

On Wednesday, Hernandez was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one count of aggravated battery, one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and violation of an order of protection.

Santiago-Vargas was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one count of aggravated battery, and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

Both are being held on a $1 million bail. The brothers both live at 518 Campbell Street on Joliet's west side. Their house has been the scene of several drive-by shootings.

In September 2020, Hernandez, then 18, was arrested in connection with the shooting of another motorist at Collins and Jackson Streets.

Last Sept. 27, Joliet Patch reported that a 40-year-old Joliet woman remained hospitalized after being shot in the shoulder as she was sitting in her living room in the 500 block of Campbell Street, according to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English.

The woman's gunshot wound left her hospitalized at AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in fair condition, authorities said at the time.