Todd Taylor, a 20-year-old African American man from Joliet, Illinois, was gunned down in a driveway on Grant Avenue on April 28, 2020, around 8:59 p.m. Officers nearby heard gunshots and saw a black Cadillac SUV flee; the vehicle was pursued to near West Coal City Road in Diamond, where it was abandoned and the suspects ran but were ultimately apprehended. Taylor died of multiple gunshot wounds.

On July 7, 2020, 24-year-old Dartavius Payton of the Joliet area was arrested at a Diamond residence and charged with three counts of first-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with Taylor’s death; his bail was set at $2.5 million and he remained in custody awaiting trial. Taylor’s killing was one of two homicides on Joliet’s east side that day, occurring hours after 47-year-old Floyd Faint Sr. was fatally shot outside his home on Francis Street.

Anyone who knew Todd, saw activity on Grant Avenue that evening, or has information about either shooting is asked to come forward.