A neighbor dispute in Joliet ended in fatal gunfire on May 8, 2026. Sixty-year-old Lyndon B. Hunt and 58-year-old Willis Ellis, who lived in the same apartment building on the 200 block of Nicholson Street, were engaged in a heated argument on the porch that afternoon. Hunt stepped off the porch into the front yard, and Ellis allegedly shot him in the abdomen. Responding officers found Hunt with a serious gunshot wound; he was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in critical condition and pronounced dead later that evening.

Officers detained Ellis at the scene and recovered a Taurus G2C 9mm handgun. Ellis held a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card and a concealed carry license. He initially faced aggravated battery with a firearm; on May 14 prosecutors upgraded the case to three counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors showed court video from Ellis’s wife that they say depicts Hunt not approaching and not armed, and a nearby witness reported seeing three other men with Hunt before they left as the argument began. A judge denied pretrial release, and Ellis remains in custody as the case proceeds.

Anyone who knew Lyndon B. Hunt, lived on Nicholson Street, or witnessed the confrontation is asked to come forward with information.