‘We’re broken.’ Sisters of slain Puyallup barbershop owner grieve, seek justice

The fatal shooting of a Puyallup barbershop owner Nov. 30 has left those who knew Jose Velez in disbelief at the death of a man known for giving out haircuts to those who couldn’t afford them and for mentoring young people looking to make it on their own.

But for the man’s sisters from Camden, New Jersey, where they all grew up, their loss and the thousands of miles separating them from their brother left them feeling broken. His oldest sister, Marylan Coles, told The News Tribune on Friday that when a sibling delivered the news, she could only scream. She said Velez’s death still seems unreal.

“I want to call his phone because I know this can’t be true,” Coles said.

Puyallup Police Department is continuing to investigate the homicide, which occurred inside JQ’s Barbershop at 112 E. Stewart Ave. while Velez cut a young boy’s hair. Police said Velez was shot multiple times by an unknown gunman who walked directly to where he was working.

Another of Velez’s relatives, Damaris Velez, said she doesn’t understand why this happened to her cousin.

“We just want justice to be served at this point,” Damaris Velez said. “He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

‘You can’t find people like him.’ Gunned-down Puyallup barber remembered fondly

Jose Velez, 43, was a father and husband. He worked as a barber in the Tacoma area for at least 10 years, the owner of another local barbershop told The News Tribune. But he started as a teenager in Camden, cutting hair to make money. Relatives said he had other jobs, but that was his passion. Coles said when her brother was in his late 20s, he left New Jersey to make a better life for himself in Tacoma.

“Growing up, he was really a hardworking person,” Coles said in a phone call. “He never gave up.”

In 2017, Velez opened Q’s Coffee House, a business in Parkland named after his wife’s nickname Q, and adorned with a logo created by his niece, Coles’ daughter. The shop’s tripleta, a Puerto Rican sandwich stacked with diced meat, had “an exquisite fluffy texture,” the late Sue Kidd wrote for the newspaper at the time.

Velez was cooking the last time his mother, Angelica Velez, spoke to him on the phone, cousin Damaris Velez said. She said Velez was preparing Thanksgiving dinner, and he was in good spirits, as he always was.

Carmen Robles, Velez’s other older sister, said Monday that when she thinks of her brother, she thinks of his compassionate nature and how he always wanted the best for his family. Robles, 49, lives in El Paso, Texas, and she said the news of Velez’s death was devastating. She said she and Velez chatted on the phone often, and they talked about the idea of having all of their families closer together. Now Robles said she wished she could be with her mother in New Jersey as she grieves.

“Why would this person do this?” Robles said. “I don’t know. That’s the question I personally have. I just don’t understand.”

Coles said Jose was always a happy person growing up and was someone who liked to joke around. As an adult, she said, her brother loved to spend time with his family and was always giving his nieces and nephews advice, telling them to do well in school. Coles said she’s been leaning on her family and trying to focus on good memories of Velez to overcome the pain of his death. It isn’t the first tragedy the family has had to overcome. Coles said one of Velez’s three brothers was murdered in Camden in 2005.

With family in Washington, Texas and New Jersey, funeral arrangements for Velez are still being decided, but Coles said Velez’s mother wants her son laid to rest alongside his brother and father back east. A GoFundMe has been started to raise money for the funeral.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Jose Velez’s relation to Damaris Velez and to add comment from one of the victim’s sisters.