Nordstrom Worker Nadia Ezaldein Shot At Store On Black Friday, Shooter’s Family Breaks Silence

Nordstrom worker Nadia Ezaldein was gunned down on Black Friday by a stalking ex-boyfriend, after she was denied a protection order by the court. Marcus Dee, 31, shot and killed Ezaldein at the Chicago Nordstrom store, and then killed himself. Black Friday was not only the busiest shopping day of the year, it was also Nadia Ezaldein 22nd birthday – her family had flown in from Florida for the occasion.

Nadia Ezaldein was working at the cosmetic counter at Nordstrom store when Marcus Dee burst into the business and put a gun in her mouth. On April 8, the University of Chicago law student filed an application for a protection order from Dee. The woman said the Army soldier fractured her jaw, cracked her ribs, stabbed her with a switchblade, and shoved a gun in her mouth.

Marcus Dee had also attempted to file for a protection order against Nadia Ezaldein’s twin sister. He claimed the woman was attempting to ruin his Army career and get him kicked out of the military. The twin sister told the judge in the protection order proceeding that Dee had “stabbed her jacket with a switchblade knife, bruised her lip, ripped her boots, threw her clothes out the window, and put a gun in her mouth as well.

Nadia Ezaldein was rushed to a local hospital and put on life support, but ultimately died on Saturday afternoon – just 24-hours after her family had planned a surprise birthday dinner. Marcus Dee and Ezaldein began dating in August 2012 after they were introduced by her older sister’s roommate. During the 14-month relationship, the Chicago law student was reportedly beaten up and abused on multiple occasions.

“They were, I guess, soul mates,” Candice Dee, the shooter’s sister, said about the former couple. “She read him. She understood him. But she couldn’t make certain parts of him better. He couldn’t be good enough for her parents. She knew that. And it ruined him. And it ruined them.”

The sister, although she acknowledged that her brother could have a temper, claims that the victim’s father stood in the way of the relationship. Candice Dee also maintains that the couple did break up a long time ago; the “final” break-up did not occur until several weeks ago. Candice Dee also told the Chicago Sun-Times that Nadia Ezaldein and Marcus Dee “rarely fought” but when they did, “it was bad.”

Marcus Dee’s sister also maintains that her 9-year-old was the couple’s “best friend” and that Nadia referred to the time they spent with the child as their “happy place.” The last time Candice Dee saw her brother he allegedly said, “You’re the only thing I’ve ever had. When you want to see me, you can look through your daughter’s eyes, I live through her.”

Ezaldein was allegedly hesitant to report the physical abuse because Dee’s parents were Chicago police officers. She thought his parents could cover it up,” one of the victim’s sisters told the media. According to the sibling, the entire family would receive very frequent phone calls from Dee after the break-up.

In 2013, Nadia Ezaldein was reportedly hospitalized after allegedly undergoing months of “physical abuse” and “psychological torment.” Due to the threatening phone calls from Marcus Dee to his ex-girlfriend and her siblings, she was forced to change her telephone number three times, the family maintains.

“It is the worst situation ever. Our sister came up to visit her in Chicago from Florida. We made dinner. We were supposed to have fun. She’s the smartest person I know. She didn’t deserve to die,” one of her sisters said about the tragic shooting at the Chicago Nordstrom.

Are judges lax in issuing and enforcing restraining orders in America?

[Images via: Chicago Sun-Times]