Joliet Officials Address 'Surge of Violence;' Cops Continue Search for Shootout Suspect

Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton. Credit: File photo.

On Wednesday, Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton said investigators continue to work to identify the second suspect in a deadly convenience store shootout.

Gardner Food Mart employee Mohammad Eid, 24, and 24-year-old suspect Troy Norris both died after exchanging gunfire during an attempted robbery Monday afternoon at the store near Nowell Park.

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Their deaths bring the total of homicides in Joliet to nine since Thanksgiving, Joliet City Council member Bob O’Dekirk said Tuesday.

O’Dekirk, who is challenging Mayor Tom Giarrante in the April election, asked Benton what police are doing to stem what he called a “surge of violence.” He said he arrived at City Hall Tuesday night to find crews from several Chicago TV stations reporting on the recent deaths.

“It’s bad for every Joliet resident,” O’Dekirk said. “It’s bad for every homeowner, it’s bad for every business and it’s horrible for the young people who are throwing their lives away.”

Benton said the majority of recent violence is gang related, including retaliation for previous gang shootings. He said the police department has a tactical unit dedicated to gang enforcement, and police presence has been beefed up in targeted “hot spot areas.”

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The Joliet City council also recently approved a 2015 budget that includes three additional Neighborhood Oriented Policing officers, but a list of candidates who meet the city’s criteria won’t be available until February. Once the new recruits are hired, they’ll have to attend the police academy before they can hit the streets, meaning it will take months until the additional officers are on the job.

Benton said recent retirements and promotions have also depleted the police department’s ranks, adding that the department is looking to fill the vacant positions.

“We have to restock this police department,” council member Larry Hug said. “That has got to be a priority.”

Police are stepping up traffic enforcement, as well as enforcement of parole violators, he added.

“As you know, the offender (in Monday’s food mart shooting) was on parole,” Benton said.

Norris, who was fatally wounded in the shootout that also killed store worker Eid, was due to complete parole on Wednesday. He was released from prison a year ago after serving time for aggravated battery and drug offenses.

While he was behind bars, Norris was also charged in connection with a 2013 computer bank fraud scheme.

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