Second Joliet suspect arrested in Youngs Avenue shooting

A second suspect has been apprehended in the investigation of a Jan. 18 shooting on Youngs Avenue, but he’s also charged with a shooting on Girard Boulevard.

At 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Ryan Gooch Jr., 19, of Joliet, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force at a residence on Pleasant Street, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

Gooch is charged with aggravated discharge of firearm Jan. 18 at a residence in the 300 block of Youngs Avenue and another residence in the 100 block of Girard Boulevard.

Giovanni Simpson, 18, of Joliet, also has been charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm at the Youngs Avenue residence.

Simpson has been in jail since Jan. 31. Will County Judge John Connor blocked Simpson’s release based on the pretrial provision in the SAFE-T Act.

In court filings, prosecutors said there were three shooters involved in the Jan. 18 incident.

During an investigation of the shooting, a resident had contacted Joliet police officials to turn over a Glock 9 mm handgun loaded with 16 rounds, prosecutors said.

The handgun was found “frozen to the ground near the fence line” of a property in the 300 block of Youngs Avenue, prosecutors said.

“This is near where one of the three shooters appeared to fall when running to the south after the shooting on video,” prosecutors said.

Forensic testing of the firearm is pending, prosecutors said.