Winnebago County officials have identified the man who was shot and killed in a car Friday afternoon parked outside the CherryVale Mall in Cherry Valley.
31-year old Ricky Smith of DeKalb was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are calling the incident a "drive behind" shooting. Someone behind the sports utility vehicle Smith was in killed him. The rear window of the SUV was shattered.
Police have no description of the shooter or the vehicle. The motive behind the shooting remains unknown.
The car Smith was in was parked on an access road to the mall. CherryVale Mall was never closed or placed on lockdown after the shooting on Friday.
An autopsy is pending in the case.
This is the 4th homicide this month for Winnebago County. The other 3 killings took place in Rockford.
