Joliet man charged in December 2023 shooting

JOLIET, Ill. - A 19-year-old Joliet man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a shooting last year.

Benjamin Onate has been charged with possession of a firearm without a FOID card, defacing identification marks (serial number) on a firearm, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

The charges stem from an incident on December 1, 2023, in which Joliet police responded to a report of shots fired in the 100 block of Morris Street at 3:06 a.m. Officers found that a home had been struck several times by gunfire, although no one was injured.

Police recovered over ten spent shell casings at the scene.

Later that morning, police located an unoccupied vehicle in the 1000 block of Ridgewood Avenue that was believed to be involved in the shooting.

After further investigation, which included search warrants for electronic information, police identified Onate as a suspect in the case.

Benjamin Onate | JPD

An arrest warrant was issued for Onate on September 3, 2024, and he was taken into custody on September 11 after speaking with detectives at the Joliet Police Department.

The investigation is ongoing.