Farmers Weekly Review

Sheriff Mike Kelley is pleased to announce the recent arrest of David A. Grijalva (age 23) of Joliet for the offense of First-Degree Murder stemming from his involvement in the 2021 Halloween mass shooting that occurred in Joliet Township.

Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office had the 18-count criminal complaint arrest warrant signed by the Honorable Judge Art Smigielski on 09/26/2024.

On 10/03/2024, members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals Service apprehended David Grijalva at his place of employment in Channahon without incident.

Grijalva is charged with 12 counts of First-Degree Murder, five-counts of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, and one-count of Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

As a reminder, on 10/31/2021 at approximately 12:39 a.m., dozens of gunshots rang out and were fired into a crowd gathered at a Halloween party located near East Jackson Street and Walnut Street in Joliet Township.

The shooters stood from an elevated position over the crowd, as they began to fire indiscriminately. Nearby Will County Sheriff’s Office personnel heard the shots and immediately responded to the area. Close to 200 party-goers dressed in costumes were observed fleeing from the area, as shots continued to be fired as deputies began arriving on scene.

Deputies immediately began performing life-saving measures on party-goers and triaging those injured from gunfire and from being trampled on.

Holly Mathews and Jonathan Ceballos, who were not the intended targets, were pronounced deceased on scene. The intended target, Sergio Hernandez, was paralyzed in the shooting and would later succumb to his injuries nearly a year later.

In January of 2022, Joskar S. Ramos (age 20) of Joliet, Jeremy Lopez (age 22) of Joliet, and Thomas Lopez (age 23) of Joliet were all charged in connection to this heinous act of violence that occurred in Joliet Township at that Halloween party.

At the time of the arrests, Sheriff Mike Kelley had this to say about the investigation. “This was a true team effort by everyone at the Will County Sheriff’s Office that helped play a part in this investigation. 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. 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.” Those words were true then, and they are true now. The fourth suspect, David A. Grijalva, is now being held accountable for his alleged actions on that October night.”

Once Grijalva was taken into custody, he was transported to the Will County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Complex for questioning by detectives. Grijalva refused to provide detectives with any information regarding his alleged involvement in the murders of Holly Mathews, Jonathan Ceballos, and Sergio Hernandez during that 2021 Halloween party in Joliet Township.

Grijalva was transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where he will be housed pending his next court appearance.