Harrah’s Joliet Casino Staff Help Save Wounded Man

Posted on: July 29, 2024, 03:18h. 

Last updated on: July 29, 2024, 03:18h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A man shot in both legs made his way from a Joliet, Ill. parking complex to nearby Harrah’s Joliet Hotel & Casino early Monday where gaming property employees rushed to help save him.

The 37-year-old unnamed victim was wounded at the parking deck at about 5 a.m. He was able to walk through the facility to reach the casino complex.

Casino Employees to the Rescue

Workers spotted him and reported the incident to local police. The victim was transported to Illinois’ Ascension Saint Joseph Medical Center by EMTs.

The unnamed man was treated at the hospital’s emergency room. He’s expected to recover from his wounds, according to Patch.

The shooter remains on the loose as of mid-day Monday. It appears he “targeted” the victim and the shooting wasn’t random, according to Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

The incident began when the victim was standing near an entrance to the parking deck on Ottawa Street.

The would-be shooter had been in an alley and then walked up to the victim. The two got into a dispute.

Two Leg Wounds

Tensions escalated and the suspect pulled out a handgun. He fired several shots at the man. The victim suffered two leg wounds. 

The assailant fled. When police arrived minutes later, the suspect had disappeared.

Police searched the area for clues or witnesses. They reportedly located shattered glass and shell casings near the crime scene.

Officers are seeking surveillance video related to the incident.

“This is an active investigation in its early stages,” English told Patch on Monday. Officers didn’t release a description of the shooter.

Harrah’s Joliet is located near the Des Plaines River. It’s some 46 miles southeast of Chicago. It doesn’t own the parking deck where the shooting occurred.

Overall, Joliet has seen a half-dozen shootings over recent days, the Herald-News, a Joliet news outlet, reported. One was at 1:50 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn just hours before the shooting near the casino.

Casino Deadly Stabbing

About a year ago, a mentally ill homeless man was sentenced to 100 years in prison for murdering an elderly man in 2019 at the Harrah’s Joliet hotel.

Robert A. Watson, 29, of Joliet, was given the maximum sentence, according to Chicago TV station WFLD. He was found guilty of stabbing Emanual Burgarino, 76, of Hales Corners, Wis., 26 times on March 24, 2019, at the hotel.

Burgarino was knifed in his chest and neck and was attacked with pepper spray. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Watson was found guilty of first-degree murder. Watson also was determined by the jury to have been suffering from mental illness.