Cion Jordan, 22, had purchased a home, built a career and embraced his role as an older brother before his death.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Before a late-night shooting cut short Cion Jordan’s life at age 22, his family says the Maplewood man had already become a homeowner, launched a corporate career and built a reputation as a gifted, protective older brother.
Jordan died after being shot near an apartment complex in downtown St. Paul on July 30. Police found him with a gunshot wound to the stomach near Seventh Street East and Wacouta Street shortly before midnight. Another man was found inside an apartment with a wound to the leg. No arrests had been announced as of Monday.
Jordan’s mother, Malinda Aguilar, said he worked in Xcel Energy’s legal department as a legal billing analyst and had recently applied for a promotion. She described him as mathematically talented, financially focused and eager to build a stable future from an early age.
Aguilar said Jordan participated in a gifted program as a child and was coding robots by fourth grade. As a teenager, she said, he developed an interest in financial markets and waited until he turned 18 to open an account through which he could begin buying investments.
He also bought his first home before turning 21, Aguilar said. The milestone was one of several achievements that made her proud and reinforced her belief that he had a promising future. His family said his ambitions extended beyond earning money and advancing at work; they remembered him as a young man who cared deeply about the people around him.
That included two much younger siblings, ages 2 years and 10 months. Aguilar said Jordan was proud to be their older brother and wanted to remain involved in their lives. His death has left the children without the chance to grow up alongside him, she said, while other relatives are struggling with the sudden loss.
Aguilar believes Jordan went to the St. Paul apartment complex after a woman he knew sought help during an assault. She said he initially told the woman to call police and declined to leave home, but a second call changed his mind. Police have not confirmed that account or said whether the shooting was connected to a domestic dispute.
Authorities said officers responding to reports of gunfire found Jordan wounded outside and another man wounded inside the apartment. Jordan was taken to Regions Hospital but did not survive. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him the next day.
Aguilar said hospital staff initially told her that her son had been shot in the leg, information that apparently referred to the other wounded man. She later learned Jordan had suffered the more serious injury. She said medical workers tried extensively to save him.
Jordan’s stepfather, Nelson Aguilar, said the family was still waiting for crucial details about what happened. He said the circumstances were difficult to understand and that the encounter should not have ended in a young man’s death.
The family has established an online fundraiser to help pay funeral expenses. Relatives are now balancing those arrangements with their search for answers about why Jordan was called to the apartment and who fired the fatal shot.
St. Paul police continue to investigate. The department has not publicly identified a suspect, announced an arrest or released a complete account of the events leading to the gunfire.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 3, 2026.