December 2, 2014 – On the day of the funeral for the 22-year-old law student shot while working a holiday shift at Nordstrom, Chicago Police confirmed the man who killed her was the son of police officers.

CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy also said on Monday that Nadia Ezaldein (left) had complained to police about her former boyfriend, 31-year-old Marcus Dee, who killed her a year after their abusive 17-month relationship ended.

Although he did not elaborate, McCarthy (right) says there was “an incident the week before” the shooting.

According to McCarthy, Dee at one time had a Firearm Owners Identification card needed to legally possess firearms in Illinois. Police say the gun used in the shooting did not belong to Dee’s parents.

On Friday at about 8:30 p.m., Dee walked into the Grand Avenue entrance to Nordstrom in River North, went up to the fashion accessories department, and spoke briefly with Ezaldein. As she turned away, he shot her in the head or neck, and then shot himself. He died at the scene. Ezaldein was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she died on Saturday.

Friday had been her 22nd birthday.

The store was full of shoppers at the time. Witnesses heard two gunshots. People shouted and ran for exits, leaving behind their coats and bags. Some hid in a storage room until police arrived.

Court records detail some of the abuse Ezaldein’s sister says Dee (left) inflicted on Nadia during and after their relationship. It included cracking her ribs, breaking her jaw, and putting a gun in her mouth.

Both Dee and the sister, who has not been identified by name, tried unsuccessfully in April to get restraining orders issued against each other. Dee claimed the sister, who lives in Florida, had threatened to have her brother kill him. In each case, separate Cook County Circuit Court judges decided there was insufficient evidence to grant the requests.

Nadia Ezaldein was from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She attended the University of Chicago but was not enrolled for the fall semester. She was buried in Chicago.