Bank Robbery Suspect Killed By Joliet Police Identified

JOLIET, IL - A man wanted in connection with a bank robbery that happened Wednesday morning on Joliet's west side died after being involved in a shootout with Joliet Police officers at a house in the 200 block of South Des Plaines Street, according to witnesses.

The officer who killed the man was not injured during the shooting, other sources have told Patch. On Wednesday night, the Will County Coroner's Office identified the man as 38-year-old Bruce W. Carter Jr. of Joliet. Carter was pronounced dead at 11:55 a.m. at the emergency room for Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, the coroner's office announced.

Carter died of multiple gunshot wounds and an autopsy was set for Thursday morning.

The mid-morning Joliet bank robbery occurred on West Jefferson Street at one of the First Midwest Bank locations. Several hours later, Joliet Police issued this statement:

On Wednesday afternoon, Patch went to the scene and interviewed an older man who said he witnessed the entire shooting, but asked that his name not be published. The shooting happened about two blocks south of the Joliet Police Station. In fact, from the police station, you could see the police cars and the yellow crime scene tape off in the distance.

The shooting happened at an older brown house.

The witness told Joliet Patch that several Joliet Police officers, probably at least five, were outside the house after having tracked the bank robbery suspect to the property, which is the house of the suspect's mother, the witness said.

While the officers were still outside, the bank robbery suspect re-emerged on the top of the front steps and began firing his gun at the officers, the witness said. The officers ducked for cover behind the silver car, Patch was told.

"I heard at least eight shots or nine shots," the witness told Patch, pointing out that one of the bullets apparently fired by the bank robbery suspect ended up in the garage of a house across the street. The shooting was in close proximity to the Head Start building where several children were present. The building was put on lock down because of the shooting and the kids were not allowed outside. The house where the shooting happened is at the corner Des Plaines and Wallace Street.

It's across the street from the Joliet Housing Authority's Waters Edge development.

Meanwhile, the Chicago branch of the FBI took to Twitter on Wednesday asking for the public's help in finding the bank robber. The FBI post, however, makes no mention of the subsequent events on Joliet's southeast side involving the shooting of a bank robbery suspect.

The Joliet Police Department press release regarding the shooting on Des Plaines Street made no mention that the bank robber was still at large.

In any event, the eyewitness who spoke with Joliet Patch said the Joliet Police officers were clearly justified and in the right for shooting the bank robbery suspect. The man said he could not say how many shots were fired by the bank robbery suspect versus how many shots were fired by the police, but the suspect had definitely fired his gun at the police first, he stressed.

"I see that they had the house surrounded and somebody came out that front door and they were shooting right at the police," he told Joliet Patch. "And the police started shooting right back at them, just like they're supposed to do."

The witness told Patch that the Joliet officers were extremely lucky that they were able to take cover behind the silver car parked out front, the witness said he believes that the car may have been used in the bank robbery on Jefferson Street.

"I know he was shooting at police first," the witness assured Joliet Patch.

Main photos via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor