23-Year-Old Woman Shot and Killed in Joliet

A Joliet resident was shot and killed Sunday night while driving with her family. The 23-year-old mother of two, Dinesty Tillman was driving near the intersection of Washington and Richards St around 10:35p.m. when shots were fired at the vehicle. A 21-year-old man covered in blood, who was later identified as Tillman’s brother, approached police when they arrived on the scene.

Tillman’s brother had suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm and the 4-door Ford Fusion was on the side of the road. When police approached the car they found Tillman unresponsive and bleeding from her head. In the backseat was Tillman’s two daughters, a four-year-old and a 3-month-old. The youngest daughter was unharmed, but the four-year-old had a graze wound on her knee from one of the bullets.

At 11:08p.m. Tillman was pronounced dead at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center. The brother, who was in the passenger seat says he did not see where the shots were fired from or any vehicle driving away. It is unknown if it was a random shooting or if Tillman and her brother were the intended targets. Both Tillman and her brother are unaffiliated with gangs and police have stated that the most they have encountered with the law are traffic violations.