1 dead in Joliet shooting at Izzy's Bar, suspect charged

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) -- Two people were shot, one fatally, early Friday at Izzy's Bar in southwest suburban Joliet.

Patrons said a bartender was killed and a second person was hit at about 1:15 a.m. while trying to take down the suspected gunman inside the popular family-owned bar in the 500-block of Theodore Street.

The Will County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 52-year-old Daniel Rios of Joliet. Rios was a bartender at Izzy's Bar and longtime family friend of the owner, Alfonso Izquierdo.

Izquierdo said his son was the second victim and was shot in the abdomen.

The suspect, 55-year-old Patrick Gleason, of Crest Hill, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, police said. The Will County State's Attorney's Office issued a warrant for his arrest upon his release from the hospital. The warrant carries a $10 million bail amount.

Candles and flowers now comprise a makeshift memorial at the bar.

Police said early Friday morning a man stormed into the Joliet bar and started shooting. Mike Cullick was one of the patrons who tried to stop him. Cullick jumped on him.

"We just did what we could," Cullick said. "You did what you had to do, you don't think about it. My best friend... I'm not going to watch that happen to anybody, I'm not going to go down on my knees either."

Rios is remembered fondly.

"He was just a nice kid. To me, he was a kid," said Melanie Kurbis, friend.

Now his bar family is praying Izzy's son pulls through.

"Why would somebody do this? Why?" said Cindi Gasic, who knew Rios.

Police spent much of Friday day a few blocks from the bar, pulling evidence from Gleason's home.

"He just called me the other night, kept me on the phone quite a while. I didn't think much of it because I know how he is, always complaining everyone was against him, something like that," said his neighbor Charlotte Stefanich.

Both Gleason and Izquierdo remained hospitalized in unknown condition Friday night.

Rios would have celebrated his daughter's 14th birthday on Friday.

Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.