Leopoldo M. Vela was a 57-year-old business owner on Milwaukee’s south side who ran Corona Jewelry, also known as Los Tres Portillo’s Centro de Envios, at 1401 S. 7th Street. Originally from La Calera, Zacatecas, Mexico, Vela’s store served as a jewelry shop, pawnshop and grocery and handled gold buying and money transfers. He was a familiar figure in the neighborhood and had spoken with local officials about licensing.

On the morning of October 31, 2016, at about 10:35 a.m., a man entered the store in what police described as a robbery; during the incident Vela was shot in the chest. He was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries. Milwaukee police recovered surveillance images of a male suspect and released those photos publicly on November 1, 2016. The Jewelers’ Security Alliance offered up to a $3,000 reward on November 4, 2016.

As of January 2017 the case remained unsolved and no arrests had been announced. If anyone knew Vela, worked at or frequented Corona Jewelry, or recognizes the person in the surveillance images, please contact the Milwaukee Police Department or Lt. Paul Lough with the Homicide Division.