Shooting In Lakewood Falls: Joliet Man Charged

ROMEOVILLE, IL — A Joliet man has been arrested after two homes and a parked vehicle were hit by gunfire Tuesday afternoon in the Lakewood Falls subdivision, the Will County Sheriff's Office and Romeoville police said. Deputies assisted Romeoville police as they responded to the area of Budler and Taylor roads around 12:45 p.m. after getting a report saying the occupants of two vehicles were shooting at each other.

The shooting happened in the Romeoville Police Department's jurisdiction, but the sheriff's office responded to two separate reports of homes that were hit by bullets, as well as a parked vehicle that was struck by gunfire.

Both of the homes are in the 14000 block of Lehigh Drive in Plainfield Township. The sheriff's office said no one was injured in the homes.

The sheriff's office said Romeoville police have identified one of the vehicles involved in the shooting as a black Dodge Charger.

Romeoville police said they stopped the driver of the Charger, 23-year-old Jayln D. Blackmore of the 200 block of Doris Avenue in Joliet, around 1:37 p.m. Tuesday and interviewed him.

As of Wednesday morning, Blackmore was being held at the Will County jail on a charge of aggravated discharge of a firearm. He was due in court Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone with information about recent shootings in Lakewood Falls is encouraged to call the Romeoville Police Department at 815-886-7219.

Tuesday's incident at least the second shooting in Lakewood Falls in recent weeks. The sheriff's office responded to a report of shots fired just after 6 a.m. Dec. 23 after several residents reported hiring gunshots and seeing one or two suspects running down the street.

In that incident, a Cadillac parked in a driveway on Hillsdale Court had three bullet holes in it and a second vehicle in the same driveway had a flat tire with puncture marks, police said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Lakewood Falls board emailed residents saying it has been working with the Will County Sheriff's Office.

"Based on our conversations with the Sheriff’s office, we do not believe there is any threat to the community at large," the board said, but added that anyone who sees something suspicious should call 911 immediately. The board asked anyone who has a Ring camera or similar doorbell to enable it to allow law enforcement to access the camera.

Other shootings in Lakewood Falls

In October 2019, a local hemp farmer was accused of shooting into the air as he tried to deter thieves as they fled into the 14000 block of South Napa Circle. The hemp farm is on West Taylor Road.

In January 2018, a man was shot and wounded through a sliding glass door in the 14000 block of Emerald Court in what police called a gang-related shooting.