Charges filed against 18-year-old in fatal Rosemont mall shooting
Murder charges have been filed against an 18-year-old man in a deadly shooting at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago Mall in Rosemont last month.
ROSEMONT, Ill. - A man was shot dead at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont last week after he flashed gang signs and showed a handgun to witnesses who were at the mall with the accused shooter, prosecutors said.
Jose Matias, 18, and a group of people were walking through the mall, when they passed Joel Valdes, who was wearing a ski mask, sunglasses and a designer crossover body bag, prosecutors said.
The group walked past Valdes, who was with another person.
Valdes allegedly stared at one person in particular, and flashed gang signs at him and the rest of the group.
Shortly after, prosecutors say Valdes was at a Kiosk when the group of people who went to the mall with Matias informed Valdes that they were not in a gang.
Valdes then allegedly displayed a black handgun that had a flashlight and laser.
Prosecutors said that Valdes pointed the gun at the group, activated the laser and set off the strobe function on the flashlight.
The light was allegedly seen on surveillance video.
Once they arrived at the food court area, two of the people in the group with Matias went into the restrooms.
One of those people was the same person Valdes allegedly stared at, flashed gang signs to and displayed his gun to.
Prosecutors say witnesses saw Valdes and another person walking toward the food court. As they approached, witnesses allegedly saw Valdes reach into his bag.
They also allegedly saw Valdes enter the hallway and walk towards the bathroom area, where he confronted the person who he had stared down earlier, and the other witness who went to the bathroom with him.
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The witnesses then allegedly heard several gunshots and ran.
Shortly before the shooting, a 15-year-old victim and her mother were in the hallway on their way to the bathroom when they say they saw Valdes confront the person he stared down earlier and the other witness.
The mother heard Valdes say something to the person he stared down earlier and saw him reach into his bag. She then heard several shots and ran into the bathroom.
The 15-year-old, who was headed toward the bathroom at that time, heard a gunshot and ran.
When she got to safety, prosecutors said she realized she was shot in the right wrist and suffered a graze wound to her thigh.
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The mother and the 15-year-old said they did not see Valdes with a gun in his hand at that moment.
Valdes' back was allegedly facing the food court end of the hallway.
Matias was allegedly at the right corner of the entrance of the hallway when Valdes confronted the person he stared at earlier and the other witness who went to the restroom.
Prosecutors say that Matias is captured on video backing out of the hallway, turning, pulling out a handgun, racking the slide which ejected a live round and then turned back toward the hallway.
He allegedly fired six times, striking Valdes five times in the front.
Prosecutors say several of those shots were through and through gunshot wounds, and at least one of those struck the 15-year-old in the wrist.
Surveillance video also allegedly captures the shooting.
Valdes was later pronounced dead, prosecutors said.
Matias has been charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of weapon.
He was denied bond Friday.
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A woman who was at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont Friday night tells FOX 32 what she experienced as gunshots rang out.
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