A man walked into a Chicago Nordstrom department store during its Black Friday event, and shot his ex-girlfriend in the back of her head, before turning the gun on himself. The victim has since died.
Authorities say 31-year-old Marcus Dee approached Nadia Ezaldein, 22, shot her, and then committed suicide. Ezaldein was pronounced dead at 3:43 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Her family has since donated her organs.
A Facebook page has since been set up in Ezaldein’s name.
Ezaldein, a seasonal employee at the Nordstrom situated in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile shopping district, turned 22 on the day of the shooting. Police evacuated the store, and it remained closed on Saturday, before reopening on Sunday. Nordstrom spokeswoman Tara Darrow commented that the shootings were a “really sad and scary situation,” though authorities have deemed the store to be safe.
Ezaldein had reportedly broken up with Dee last year, and he was accused of stalking and harassing her ever since, before shooting her at approximately 8:30 p.m., in front of a store full of Black Friday shoppers.
Ezaldien was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but doctors assessed that she had no brain activity, and she was taken off life support after her organs were harvested.
hey @UChicago and @Nordstrom how abt you establish college scholarships in nadia ezaldein's name for women w her aspiration to study law?
— lil bough of holly (@somestarstuff) November 30, 2014
R.I.P. Nadia Ezaldein…Man this is just too sad. I don't even know her and my heart is so heavy. People are so cruel man.
— Tim Franklin II (@TFJ91) November 30, 2014
@craignewman I am going to remember nadia ezaldein. Black friday is now quite darker since nadia left us before her time. Never be the same.
— james king (@1yisrael) November 30, 2014
The family of Nadia Ezaldein tells me she will be buried Monday in Chicago, despite being from FL, bc she loved this city.
— Courtney Gousman (@cgousman) November 30, 2014
Spokeswoman Darrow added, “We are deeply saddened to learn that our employee who was injured in Friday evening’s tragedy passed away this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.”
