Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood is on edge after woman is shot and killed in robbery attempt
Police Monday evening were looking for a gunman who shot and killed a woman during an attempted robbery in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood over the weekend.
Gabriela Ochoa, 31, was gunned down in the second disturbing crime this month near a popular park.
Around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, Ochoa was outside near 27th and Peoria streets and Palmisano Park when a man going by in a dark-colored sedan shot her, police said.
The gunman was riding with a group of people who were trying to take the victim's belongings.
Ochoa was shot in the chest and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, where she was pronounced dead.
A neighbor who didn't want to be on camera said his Ring camera captured the woman screaming. Another neighbor said her sister was walking her dog when she saw gunfire and ran the other direction.
"She was with, I believe, family member, but I think that there were also passersby that came to her aid very quickly," said Ald. Nicole Lee (11th). "So I really want to commend those neighbors that were driving and didn't just drive past this situation. They stopped."
On Sunday, Aug. 10 — less than a week earlier — police said a 14-year-old boy was walking in the same area near Palmisano Park when he heard gunshots and felt pain.
He was shot in the back and was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in good condition. Police say he was unable to provide details of the incident.
Ald. Lee said there have been a series of escalating attacks in the Palmisano Park area.
"Two, back-to-back, I think, is not normal," Lee said. "It's absolutely not normal for us here in the 11th Ward. It definitely has everybody a bit on edge."
For that reason, Ald. Lee is asking her residents to speak up and share surveillance video.
"I very often tell my constituents, if we don't know that there's an issue, there's nothing we can do about it," Lee said.
Police said no one was in custody in either shooting late Monday.
