Man shot dead in Joliet

A man was shot to death early Thursday in southwest suburban Joliet.

Officers responded to a call of shots fired about 12:20 a.m. in the 800 block of Cora Street and found two men near an alley, Joliet police said in a statement. One of the men was inside a vehicle.

Dearis J. Evans, 24, was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet and pronounced dead, police and the Will County coroner’s office said.

Evans died of an apparent gunshot wound, the coroner’s office said. The other man, a 19-year-old Joliet resident, was unharmed, according to police.

Joliet police released few details of the shooting and said the investigation was in its early stages.

Detectives were seeking surveillance video from the area between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday, police said. Investigators are focusing on the area east of Nicholson Street to Broadway Street and the area north of Ruby Street to Moran Street.

The coroner’s office was set to perform an autopsy for Evans on Thursday.

The last fatal shooting in Joliet was Oct 10, when 33-year-old Jesse Hannah was shot near the intersection of Krakar and Elgin avenues and pronounced dead shortly after.