Funeral Set For Joliet's Latest Murder Victim

JOLIET, IL — The young man gunned down during the daytime on June 6 in the 600 block of Benton Street, an area of Joliet prone to recurring gun violence and murder, has been set for this weekend. Joliet's fifth homicide victim of 2023 was Latrel Dontae Smith-Vaden.

According to the Minor-Morris Funeral Home on Richards Street, there will be a visitation for Smith-Vaden from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home. The visitation will resume on Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. but that will take place in Chicago at Mt. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, 2625 W. Ogden Ave. The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mt. Bethlehem in Chicago.

Smith-Vaden died two months shy of his 21st birthday. He was the second person fatally shot in the streets of Joliet, on the east side, in a week's time. The previous Tuesday evening, 16-year-old Antoine Shropshire lost his life to bullets in the 400 block of South Joliet Street, near the Warren Sharpe playground equipment.

So far, Joliet police have not made arrests in either homicide.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Another Joliet Murder: This Time On Benton Street