Police Say They Have No Motive in Targeted Murder of Recent College Grad

Update, posted at 7:50 p.m. Friday:

say they have no suspects and no motive in what appears to be a targeted killing of a 23-year-man Thursday night on the city's East Side.

Detective Sgt. Scott Nicodemus said Kyle Watt was sitting in his car in the 300 block of Wilson Street at about 9:30 p.m., speaking to someone outside of his car, when a gunman fired numerous shots into the vehicle in what is believed to be a "premeditated" attack. 

Watt, of the 400 block of Elmwood Street, was initially taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, and later transferred to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was declared dead at about 1:30 a.m. Friday.

Nicodemus declined to say how many shots were fired at Watt, how many struck him or what caliber gun was used.

Watt was not a gang member or a drug dealer, and they do not know why someone would want to kill him, Nicodemus said.

According to Watt's Facebook page, he graduated from Joliet Central High School in 2007, Joliet Junior College in 2010 and Governors State University in 2012. His profile at linkedin.com says his degree was in criminal justice and corrections and he was employed as a security officer at A&R Security, based in Lombard, a job he started in July 2012.

Prior to that, he worked for Home Depot for almost four years as a forklift operator.

In the "about" section of his Facebook page, he wrote "I just wanna be successful."

Dozens of messages posted by friends and family on his page offered memories and condolences.

Among them: "It's a shame i never got a chance to tell you that you set an example for me. After seeing your progress, I knew I could go back to school, I could take care of my kids, I could go after what I wanted. We had alot of laughing days, and Im going to miss that."

This is the city's third murder in as many weeks. , 54, of Crest Hill, man was shot and killed while sitting in his car in the parking lot of Wendy's at Jefferson and Center streets on Aug. 1. , 39, of Lockport, was shot on Aug. 10 outside the Team Joliet KO Zone, a boxing club/training gym on Cass Street that he co-owned.

While the former case remains unsolved, McGinn's KO Zone business partner Jermain Bennett has been arrested for setting up a false drug purchase in which he and other suspects allegedly robbed and killed McGinn.

Police are seeking suspects and witnesses in the case, Nicodeumus said. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Paul Rodriguez at 815-724-3088.

Original story, posted at about 1:45 p.m. Friday:

A man has died from wounds sustained in a shooting Thursday night on Joliet's East Side.

The Cook County Coroner's Office confirmed that an autopsy was being done this afternoon on Kyle Watt, 23, and that results would be available after 3 p.m.

Watt was shot in the 300 block of Wilson Avenue and he was pronounced dead at about 1:30 a.m. today at Advocate Christ Medical Center, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune.

Joliet Patch is awaiting more information from the .

Confirmation of Watt's death was on the man's Facebook page, where family and friends left messages and memories about Watts, who posted that he had graduated from Joliet Central High School in 2007, Joliet Junior College in 2011 and Governors State University in 2012.

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