Crime & Safety

Rosemont Mall Shooting Gunman In Custody, Police Say

Police said he opened fire Friday at the food court at the Rosemont mall, killing a 20-year-old Skokie man and wounding a 15-year-old girl.

Police said Jose Matias, 18, of Chicago, was taken into custody Wednesday after a nationwide arrest warrant was issued the day earlier in connection with Friday's shooting at a mall in Rosemont.
Police said Jose Matias, 18, of Chicago, was taken into custody Wednesday after a nationwide arrest warrant was issued the day earlier in connection with Friday's shooting at a mall in Rosemont. (Rosemont Public Safety Department)

ROSEMONT, IL — The Chicago resident accused of fatally shooting a Skokie man and wounding a teenage girl last week at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon in Rosemont, police said.

"Jose G. Matias was taken into custody by the Rosemont Police without incident," police said in a statement, thanking agencies that assisted with the investigation that led to Matias' apprehension.

Matias, 18, was identified by witnesses and on security footage as the gunman the shooting Friday near the food court of the Fashion Outlets of Chicago mall, according to the Rosemont Department of Public Safety.

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The gunfire sent panicked shoppers running for the exits and hiding in stores. Arriving officers found Joel Valdes, 20, lying on the floor suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Lutheran General Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.

A 15-year-old girl who was struck in the wrist and grazed in the leg was found in a nearby bathroom. She was later released from the hospital and is recovering at home, police said.

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"It was near the food court that Matias is observed on surveillance video pulling out a firearm and shooting in the direction of Valdes," according to a police statement.

Rosemont police said a gun was found at the scene. No bond hearing has yet been scheduled for Matias, according to a police spokesperson.

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