Alejandro Valadez was a 27-year-old Chicago Police Department officer shot and killed while on duty in Englewood on June 1, 2009. He and his partner, Officer Thomas Vargas, were investigating a reported shots-fired incident when a vehicle approached and its occupants opened fire. Valadez was struck in the leg and the head; one bullet pierced his left ear and lodged in his brain. He was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County and pronounced dead the same day.

Investigators recovered the vehicle used in the shooting and found three guns inside, including the weapon that killed Valadez. Shell casings from the car matched those at the scene, and an Illinois State Trooper’s in-car camera had recorded a seat belt stop of the suspects the day before. Shawn Gaston admitted to being the shooter; Gaston and Kevin Walker were arrested and charged in connection with the murder. Gaston was later convicted and sentenced, and Walker and another accomplice, Christopher Harris, were also convicted and sentenced.

Anyone who knew Officer Valadez or witnessed the events in Englewood on June 1, 2009, is asked to share information that could add detail to the record.