Justin Agrelo

Community Engagement Reporter at The Trace

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Articles

How to Prepare for the Cook County Judicial System, Experts Say

4 weeks ago | thetrace.org | Victoria Clark |Justin Agrelo

The Trace When Estela Díaz lost her son, Fernando Zadkiel Vega-Díaz, to gun violence, the police did not allow her to touch him because his body was being used as evidence. That experience, she said, was cold and insensitive. At the time, she didn’t know it would help prepare her for the Cook County court system, where seeking justice would force her to relive trauma.
How to navigate the Cook County court system after a shooting

1 month ago | chicagoreader.com | Justin Agrelo

This story was published by the Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Sign up for its newsletters here. When Estela Díaz entered the Cook County courthouse on 26th and California last November, she steadied herself with a reminder: Expect nothing. Díaz was attending the start of the court proceeding for the fatal shooting of her 18-year-old son, Fernando Zadkiel Vega-Díaz.
Public Safety Programs Face Uncertainty Amid Federal Grant Cuts

1 month ago | thetrace.org | Tatyana Turner |Justin Agrelo

The Trace Across the United States, major cities are touting a downward trend in homicides because of a drop in the number of shootings. Compared to last April, Chicago saw a decline, while Baltimore and Philadelphia recorded 30 and 31 percent drops respectively. While different factors contributed to the reduction in crime, city leaders have pointed to the efforts of local community violence intervention groups — groups that may soon face extreme constraints.
How to Navigate the Court System After a Shooting in Chicago

1 month ago | thetrace.org | Justin Agrelo

The Trace When Estela Díaz entered the Cook County courthouse on 26th and California last November, she steadied herself with a reminder: Expect nothing. Díaz was attending the start of the court proceeding for the fatal shooting of her 18-year-old son, Fernando Zadkiel Vega-Díaz. The insensitive way Díaz said police treated her immediately after Zadkiel’s death made her assume that the trial would not be any less painful.
Are You a Gun Owner in Chicago or Cook County? The Trace Wants to Hear From You.

1 month ago | thetrace.org | Justin Agrelo

The Trace The Trace is a nonprofit newsroom solely dedicated to covering gun violence in the United States. We use the power of journalism to improve public understanding, increase accountability, and identify solutions that can lead to safer communities. We’re working to better understand the factors that drive gun ownership among everyday people, and we need your help to do so. Are you a gun owner living in Cook County? We’d love to hear from you.
Inside the fight to abolish Illinois‘s ’murderer’ registry

2 months ago | chicagoreader.com | Justin Agrelo

Every November, Donte Quinn grows restless. His shoulders tighten. He becomes irritable. He finds himself brooding over the nearly 15 years he spent in prison, the time lost with his eldest daughter, and the Chicago courtroom where, before his mother and a crowd of strangers, he was sentenced at age 18 to three decades behind bars for his connection to a 1992 nonfatal shooting. Now 50, Quinn’s annual distress is caused by more recent interactions with the criminal legal system.
They Served Their Time. Now They Want to Be Released From Illinois’ ‘Murderer’ Database.

2 months ago | thetrace.org | Justin Agrelo |Rita Oceguera

The Trace Every November, Donte Quinn grows restless. His shoulders tighten. He becomes irritable. He finds himself brooding over the nearly 15 years he spent in prison, the time lost with his eldest daughter, the Chicago courtroom where, at age 18, before his mother and a crowd of strangers, he was sentenced to three decades behind bars for his connection to a 1992 nonfatal shooting. Now 50, Quinn’s annual distress is caused by more recent interactions with the criminal legal system.
In Peoria, Illinois, Community Members Want Prosecutors to Solve More Gun Homicides

2 months ago | thetrace.org | Josiah Bates |Rita Oceguera |Justin Agrelo

The Trace Mothers never expect to bury their children. Rachael Parker, a steadfast public servant in Peoria, Illinois, found that the 2020 shooting death of her son, Ryan, made her feel helpless. Just one year earlier, after nearly a decade on the county board, Parker had been appointed county clerk, a role she still occupies. Every day for years, she has helped maintain public filings, track land records, and issue various licenses.
Illinois Law Acknowledges Gun Possession Doesn’t Mean Pulling the Trigger

Mar 4, 2025 | blockclubchicago.org | Justin Agrelo

This story was originally published by The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Sign up for its newsletters here. CHICAGO — Until this year, people in Illinois who were arrested for carrying a gun illegally faced charges with names like “unlawful use of weapons” or “aggravated unlawful use of a weapon,” phrases that seem to describe the firing of a gun.
Illinois Law Acknowledges Gun Possession Doesn’t Mean Pulling the Trigger

Mar 4, 2025 | thetrace.org | Justin Agrelo

The Trace Until this year, people in Illinois who were arrested for carrying a gun illegally faced charges with names like “unlawful use of weapons” or “aggravated unlawful use of a weapon,” phrases that seem to describe the firing of a gun.