Jose Velez was 43 and owned JQ’s Barbershop in Puyallup, Washington. A husband, father, and mentor who often gave free haircuts to young people, he had moved from New Jersey to the Tacoma area more than a decade earlier and was respected in his community.

On the evening of November 30, 2022, shortly after 5 p.m., an unknown gunman walked into the shop while Velez was cutting an eight-year-old boy’s hair, went directly to where Velez was working, and shot him multiple times. Velez was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators described the suspect as a male about 5 feet 8 inches tall wearing all-black clothing. Surveillance cameras near the shop were not working, and the case remained unsolved as of late 2023 with no arrests announced.

If anyone has information about that night or the man seen entering the shop, please share what is known with the Puyallup Police Department.