Joliet Shooting Victim Does Not Want Will County Sheriff's Office To Track Down His Assailants: Cops

JOLIET, IL — It's not uncommon around parts of Joliet for shooting victims to refuse to help the Joliet Police Department in trying to hold the gunman accountable for their crimes. The Joliet Patch often writes a handful of such stories every year.

This week, it's the Will County Sheriff's Office that has run into a wall of resistance in trying to solve an overnight shooting on the east side of Joliet. In that case, the shooting victim did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

According to the sheriff's office new spokeswoman Elizabeth Matthews, "early Tuesday morning we responded around 1:20 a.m. to St Joseph's hospital for a gunshot victim, wound to the leg. Preliminary investigation shows the shooting happened in the 800 block of Richards St. That’s where it is believed the victim was sitting in a car when shots were fired from outside the vehicle."

Matthews pointed out that the shooting victim, a 23-year-old man, was self- transported to the hospital by a private vehicle and he was released.

"The victim is not cooperating with the investigation," Matthews announced.