Latrel Dontae Smith-Vaden, 20, was shot in the head and died after being taken to Silver Cross Hospital following an incident on June 6, 2023, in the 600 block of East Benton Street on Joliet’s East Side. Officers provided medical aid at the scene until paramedics arrived. The shooting was counted as the fifth homicide in Joliet for 2023 and came about a week after another fatal shooting on the city’s east side.

A recent graduate of Joliet West High School, Smith-Vaden had completed school in 2020 and enjoyed AutoTech classes and NASCAR. He was due to start a job at Walmart in Joliet the day after the shooting. He was the fifth of ten children; his parents are Correy Berry and Angel Berry, and his extended family includes grandmothers Lucinda Berry and Florence Wiggins and godparents Sharita Rush and Harry Bullock. His funeral was held at Mt. Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, where he was christened and baptized.

The investigation remains open and no arrests have been announced. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Joliet police investigations unit at 815-724-3020 or Crime Stoppers of Will County at 800-323-6734. Did anyone who knew Latrel or was in that area on June 6 have information that could help the investigation?