Joel Valdes, a 20-year-old from Des Plaines, Illinois, was shot five times and killed inside the Fashion Outlets of Chicago mall in Rosemont on March 25, 2022. A 15-year-old girl was also wounded, shot in the wrist, and survived. Prosecutors say the shooting was targeted: surveillance footage and witness accounts show Joel wearing a ski mask and flashing gang signs at a group that included the accused shooter, 18-year-old Jose Matias of Chicago. Prosecutors say Joel displayed a black handgun with a flashlight and laser sight on video, then followed one of Matias’ friends into a hallway near the food court, where Matias allegedly shot him.

Witnesses also reported seeing Joel reach into his bag just before the shooting, though it was not clear whether a gun was in his hand at that moment. Matias was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and was ordered held without bond. Joel’s family remembers him as passionate, charming, hilarious, and entrepreneurial, with plans to start a vending machine business.

Does anyone have information about Joel’s movements at the mall that day or saw what happened near the food court?