3rd Arrest In Joliet's Halloween Party Mass Shooting

JOLIET, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office has made another gun-related arrest in connection with the Halloween party mass shooting on Joliet's east side at 1018 East Jackson St. that killed two people and left at least a dozen more people injured.

Rodrigo Perez, 20, who lives in the 900 block of Joliet's Woods Avenue, was booked into the Will County Jail around 11:30 p.m. Monday. Perez is being charged by the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow with one felony charge of defacing identification marks on firearms.

Tuesday's criminal complaint at the Will County Courthouse states that Perez "knowingly possessed a firearm, to wit: a Ruger SR40 .40 caliber firearm, upon which the importer's or manufacturer's serial number had been removed or obliterated."

Bail for Perez was set at $20,000 at the Will County Courthouse and on Tuesday night, Perez was released from detention after posting 10 percent, jail records show.

Joliet Patch has left a message with Will County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer seeking comment on the latest arrest in the Halloween party shootings. This week, the sheriff's office has not posted any information related to Perez's arrest.

According to court records, the Will County Sheriff's Office has used the same police incident report number for Perez, Joskar Ramos, 18, and David Grijalva. Ramos and Grijalva are already in custody in connection with the Oct. 31 shootings at the backyard house party in Joliet Township.

"It appears that this incident was gang related," sheriff's officials previously announced. The sheriff's office has also said that the two homicide victims, Jonathan Ceballos and Holly Mathews, were not involved with any gangs.

At least 200 people were attending the backyard party when a hail of gunfire broke out.

Will County prosecutors have charged Grijalva with one count of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated discharges of a gun and two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. His bail remains at $3 million. The Will County Sheriff's Office has said that Grijalva, 20, is a Vice Lord street gang associate, who was booked into county detention on Nov. 19.

At the time of that arrest, the Will County Sheriff's Office announced that Grijalva was under surveillance at a house in the 900 block of Woods Avenue in Joliet; Perez, it turns out, also lives in the 900 block of Woods Avenue.

The first person arrested in the case, teenager Ramos, remains in custody, facing a $1 million bail. The Will County Sheriff's Office has said that Ramos is the prime suspect in the mass shooting, but so far, he has not been formally charged with any of the shootings.

Ramos was arrested on Nov. 5 at his apartment in the 900 block of Gael Drive, off Black Road.

So far, nobody has been charged in connection with the gunshot homicides of Mathews and Ceballos.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Homicide Victim Holly Mathews' Friend: 'I Just Wish I Had Words'

Vice Lords Associate Faces Attempted Murder Charge: Sheriff

Atty: Halloween Shooting Defendant 'Will Be Absolved Of Charges'

Coroner Identifies Man, Woman Killed In Halloween Party Shooting

Homicide Victim Jonathan Ceballos 'Was Great Brother, Friend'