JOLIET, IL – Police in Joliet are seeking public assistance following a shooting at a local convenience store that left two teenagers injured on Wednesday night. The Joliet Police Department received a report of shots fired near the 300 block of Western Avenue around 9:11 p.m.
On reaching the scene, officers discovered a shooting incident had unfolded at the Western Food Mart parking lot. The injured parties, a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy, were located close by in the 300 block of Bluff Street. Both teenagers had suffered gunshot wounds, one to the right calf and the other in the rear. Officers attended to them before paramedics arrived at the scene.
Preliminary police investigations suggest that the shooting occurred when both victims walked into the Western Food Mart parking lot, one on foot and the other on a bicycle. Both were transported to Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center by the Joliet Fire Department, and their conditions were stabilized. Thankfully, neither injury was life-threatening.
Evidence collection at the scene uncovered several used shell casings. The investigation into the circumstances leading up to and following the shooting is still in progress.
Authorities have urged individuals with potentially helpful video footage or information to contact the Joliet Police Department Investigation Division or the Will County Crime Stoppers. Anonymous tips about the incident can be submitted on the Will County Crime Stoppers website.