Friday Night Gun Attack Claims Woman's Life

JOLIET, IL — A gunman opened fire on a group sitting on the porch of a South Joliet Street house late Friday night, killing one woman before she could run inside the residence.

The 34-year-old woman was pronounced deceased at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center about an hour after the 11:45 p.m. gun attack.

The killer walked up on the house and started shooting at the group on the porch. They reportedly ran inside but the woman was hit in the lower back. The rest of the group emerged unscathed.

Police were still trying to establish a motive for the shooting.

"There's not a lot to go on right now," said Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton.

"The occupants (of the South Joliet Street residence) may have had an altercation earlier in the evening," Benton said, adding, "It's still just a theory."