Romeoville Man Shot To Death In Joliet: Coroner

JOLIET, IL — A 24-year-old Romeoville man was murdered in Joliet on Tuesday afternoon, the Will County Coroner's office reported. Coroner Patrick K. O'Neil's office said Donald M. Woods Jr. was pronounced dead just before 5:30 p.m. in the Presence St. Joseph Medical Center emergency room.

Preliminary autopsy results indicate Woods died of a gunshot wound, the coroner said.

The crime occurred in the 400 block of Sherman Street near Fourth Avenue, according to O'Neil.

The death is under investigation by the Joliet police. The final manner and cause of death will be determined by autopsy, toxicology and police reports, the coroner said.

Joliet police told the Herald-News witnesses said Woods was with other people on Sherman Street when a male suspect dressed in back walked up to him and shot him in the back.

According to Joliet police arrest reports, 25-year-old Devontae R. Fox, of the 400 block of South Ottawa Street, was arrested at around 5 p.m. Tuesday in the 200 block of Fourth Street, not far from the scene of Woods' murder, but police told the Herald-News that fox was in the area with a handgun but was not directly involved in the killing. Fox was charged with two counts of possession or use of a weapon by a felon, but it was unclear whether the arrest was connected to Woods' death.

Woods' death was the second murder in Joliet in less than a week. Keonte Cook, 19, was shot to death in the early morning hours of Friday, May 11, in the 1400 block of North Center Street.

Related: 28 Unsolved Murders In Joliet Since 2013

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