2 Joliet Men Slain In Gippers Sports Bar Near Coal City

COAL CITY, IL — Two men from Joliet were fatally shot at a bar in Coal City during the early morning hours of Saturday, Grundy County Coroner John Callahan announced. Grundy Sheriff Ken Briley told Joliet Patch that around 100 to 150 people were inside the Gippers Sports Club bar in unincorporated Coal City when the killings happened.

Briley said the witnesses reported hearing between a half dozen and 10 gunshots at the bar on Pine Bluff Road around 12:30 a.m. The two dead men found at the scene were 25-year-old Dameonta Terry-Travis of Joliet and 33-year-old Darius D. Travis of Joliet.

Both of the men were shot multiple times, Sheriff Briley said.

Briley initially believed that two guns were recovered at the double homicide, but he later learned that was incorrect. At 5:45 p.m., Saturday, the sheriff issued an updated press release indicating only one gun was found.

Grundy's sheriff said that detectives were on the scene all night and were able to keep at least 75 people at the bar for questioning. At this time, Briley said he does not have a suspect, and he does not have a motive for the shooting that he can reveal.

Gippers will remain closed on Saturday and the owners have not decided whether to open on Sunday, Briley said.

"The owners of Gippers are cooperating with police officials as this investigation is ongoing," he said.

The two Travises were the only people targeted by the killer, Briley indicated.

"Someone told us that they were cousins, but I have not been able to confirm that," Briley said around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Briley said in his four years as the Grundy sheriff, this is the first time he has investigated any shootings at Gippers.

He said the two Joliet men were fatally shot in a bar that is on the back of the Gippers property, that was part of an enclosed pavilion area. Gippers stays open until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights, and that's made the rural Coal City bar attractive to people from outside the immediate area.

"We get a lot of Joliet and Aurora and Kendall County, a lot of people from different communities," Briley said, referring to Gippers.

Gippers is about 4 to 5 miles outside the Coal City limits, and it's about a mile away from the Will County boundary line, Briley said.

Briley asked that anybody who was patronizing Gippers on Friday night is asked to please call the Grundy County Sheriff's Office at 815-942-6645. He said that guests may not think they have any important or relevant information, but in the eyes of the detectives, someone's "insignificant" information may be the piece of the puzzle vital to solving this double homicide.

The double homicide investigation is ongoing with Callahan’s office, Grundy Sheriff’s Department, Will-Grundy Task Force and Illinois State Police, Briley said.

"There was a large continent of bar patrons inside the liquor establishment as well as a half dozen or more employees at the time of the shooting," Briley said in his 5:45 p.m. Saturday press release. "As of this writing, no one is in custody for this shooting, and members of the task force are continuing to follow up on additional leads.

"This appears to be a targeted act of violence and although the suspect(s) are not in custody, we do believe there is no threat to the surrounding area."