Coroner: 3 men died of gunshot wounds

Autopsies were conducted on all three men Thursday, according to Gessner.

The final cause and manner of death will be determined after toxicology testing, Gessner said.

Kankakee Police Chief Robin Passwater said the incident is still a death investigation. He said investigators need to talk with the coroner’s office.

No arrests have been made.

City police were called to the residence at about 2 p.m. Wednesday by a family member who had been completing a welfare check at the property.

The three men’s bodies were found inside the upstairs apartment at 662 W. Merchant St.

The location of the property where this incident is believed to have taken place is immediately west of Ascension St. Mary Hospital and across the street from Alpiner Park.

Police entered the apartment and confirmed three men had been shot inside the apartment. It appeared the men had been shot hours earlier or even the previous night, according to Kankakee police.

CITY RESPONSE

Kankakee Mayor Chris Curtis and the police department issued a news release Thursday about the Wednesday incident, which had drew a large crowd.

“We want to address the concerns of the community and the large crowd that was on scene yesterday [Wednesday] and why the investigation appeared to move slowly. Upon authorities arriving to the home and finding 3 deceased victims, the City of Kankakee Police Department [KPD] decided to call in the Illinois State Police [ISP] Crime Scene unit to assist with the investigation. It took a couple of hours for the ISP team to drive to Kankakee from other areas in the State and assemble their team on site, as the unit is not local. In the meantime, KPD secured the scene and controlled the area to make sure no entry to the surrounding area and home was breached in an effort to preserve and protect evidence.

“While it may have appeared that officers were not completing tasks, they were doing their job to make sure that nothing was compromising the investigation. KPD detectives are outstanding at their job, but with multiple deceased victims it was determined to bring in extra help. This extra help will allow and benefit the families of the victims and the community to hopefully find the answers needed and bring justice to this horrific incident.

“In the meantime, City officials, including myself, along with the Kankakee County Community Crisis Response Team [KCCCRT], remained on scene to try to keep the public calm, assist with questions at the site and provide resources.

“Often the community wants quick answers and results, but bringing in experts, being diligent, patient, proper is the best result to solve a crime scene, provide answers and bring closure to all involved. I want to personally thank all law enforcement agencies for their assistance yesterday and in particular the KPD for their professionalism in this fluid and difficult situation.”