Diego Guadalupe Arriaga was 17 when he was fatally shot on May 22, 2021, in the rear parking lot of the Blue Kangaroo Laundromat at 606 East Cass Street in Joliet, Illinois. The shooting happened shortly before 5 a.m.; Joliet police responded after reports of gunshots and found his body in the back parking lot, which is accessible from Jerome Avenue along Henderson Street.

A 17-year-old Joliet resident, Cristian Ortiz-Arias, was charged by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office with first-degree murder in connection with Diego’s death. Ortiz-Arias was charged as an adult and faced additional firearm counts. He was taken into custody and held at the River Valley Juvenile Justice Center until his 18th birthday, with bail set at $3 million. Defense counsel filed a motion seeking preservation of all evidence; a hearing on that motion was heard by Will County Judge David Carlson.

Diego’s funeral arrangements were handled by Delgado Funeral Chapel on Landau Avenue. If anyone has information about Diego, his movements that morning, or the circumstances at the laundromat, please come forward.