Howard Blankenship, a 47-year-old man from Joliet, IL, was shot and killed on January 27, 2017 while sitting in a parked Buick at the intersection of Ruby and Center streets. He was found slumped behind the wheel, rushed to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, and died shortly after arrival. Shots were fired while the car was parked outside a barbershop; the Buick later lurched forward, hit a guardrail and rolled back into the intersection. A 32-year-old man who was with Howard suffered a graze wound to his ear and escaped to a nearby barbershop.

This was the second time Blankenship had been shot while sitting in a parked car. In November 2000 he survived gunshot wounds to his arm and leg; a Joliet man named Victor Williams was charged in that earlier shooting but the case was dismissed about a year and a half later. The motive for the 2017 attack is unclear and no arrests have been announced. Howard was remembered by family and friends for his contagious smile; a GoFundMe was created to help with funeral expenses.

Did anyone in the area see the Buick, the shooter, or anything suspicious around Ruby and Center on the night of January 27, 2017?