3 charged in deadly mass shooting at Halloween party in Joliet
JOLIET, Ill. - Three men have been charged in a mass shooting at a Halloween party in Joliet that killed two people and wounded a dozen others.
Two brothers, Thomas and Jeremy Lopez, were arrested at their homes Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and various weapons offenses, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.
Joskar Ramos, who was arrested on Nov. 5 for unrelated weapon offenses, also faces the same charges.
The shooting happened after midnight on Halloween when over 200 people were at a party near Jackson and Walnut streets in Joliet Township.
Holly Matthews and Jonathan Ceballos were both fatally wounded in the shooting. Both of them were 22-years-old and from Joliet.
At least a dozen others were wounded in the shooting and were transported to local hospitals.
Police had been called at least three times about noise at the party but had not tried to disperse the crowd
"This tragic incident could not have been solved without the help of the public, so I want to thank those that came forward with information," Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley said in a statement. "Every member within the Criminal Investigations Division at the Will County Sheriff’s Office have worked tirelessly for months, in conjunction with the State’s Attorney’s Office to help bring these thugs to justice. Now that these criminals are behind bars, Will County is now safer than it was the day before."
Bond was set at $10,000,000 for each of the three suspects.
Jonathan Ceballos was remembered by family as "a great brother, friend and son."
"I remember how much you used to love riding horses, going to Mexico, how we used to play soccer together all the time and how you always made people laugh," said his younger brother Carlos Ceballos.
"I honestly can’t believe you were taken from us at such a young age," he said. "You didn’t deserve this."
Mathews said her daughter was loved by everyone, especially the patients at a nursing home where she worked.
"As they were passing, she would hold her hand, she'd be by their side," said Mathews. "Somebody walking, they needed $1? She would hand it to them. Somebody’s car broke down? She be the first to help them."
Two of the party organizers told FOX 32 they invited a small group and before they realized it, several strangers started showing up.
"We tried to shut it down and get it to stop, but they just kept coming and coming," Mireya Ramirez said.