February Homicide Update
Sheriff Mike Kelley is pleased to announce the recent arrest of Jerald D. Shumpert (age 47) of Joliet for the offense of Armed Habitual Criminal and Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon. Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office took Shumpert into custody during the morning court call at the Will County Courthouse.
Shumpert was scheduled for court on an unrelated case, and Judge Dave Carlson read aloud new charges related to the 02/04/2022 homicide investigation of Leelinn Fox (age 26) of Joliet. Judge Carlson set the bond amount for the aforementioned charges at $1,000,000.00-10% to apply. After the charges were read to Shumpert, he was subsequently taken into custody on the warrant.
On 02/04/2022, at approximately 1:28 AM, deputies with the Will County Sheriff’s Office responded to 1500 block of Maple Road in Joliet Township for a complaint of shots fired. Once deputies arrived on scene, they located Leelinn Fox, bleeding from the head from a gunshot wound. Deputies on scene attempted to render aid to Fox, and East Joliet Fire Protection arrived on scene to transport him to a local area hospital.
Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Leelinn Fox, was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. It was reported to deputies on scene that there was a party being held at the house, which consisted of only friends and family. Furthermore, there were approximately twenty to twenty-five people attending the party. However, when deputies first arrived on scene there were only a handful of individuals remaining at the residence. Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) were summoned to the scene to begin to conduct the investigation.
For over a month, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office have been working diligently to try to piece together what occurred during the early morning hours of 02/04/2022 at that residence. A key piece of evidence led detectives to identify Shumpert as a person of interest in this investigation. After gathering enough evidence, detectives were able to determine that Shumpert was the only suspect in the homicide investigation of Leelinn Fox.
Sheriff Mike Kelley had this to say about the detectives efforts in apprehending Shumpert in this homicide investigation. “Even though detectives and Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) met resistance from potential witnesses, they were able to gather good physical evidence and enough information pertaining to the person responsible for this crime. I am proud of all of the hard work and dedication shown in this case, and I look forward to additional charges being filed at a later date for this cowardly violent act.”
Jerald D. Shumpert is currently being housed at the Will County Adult Detention Facility (WCADF) with his bond set at $1,000,000.00, awaiting his next court appearance.