dpCHICAGO (WLS) — Abbygail Somoza, 22, was fatally shot Saturday night while standing with her mother on a sidewalk outside the Little Village home where she once lived.
Somoza and her mother had just returned from a shopping trip.
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“They parked. They were talking about how they were going to decorate for Halloween, putting everything together when all this happened,” said Gina Somoza, the victim’s aunt.
Halloween was Somoza’s favorite time of year. A plush bat now adorns a small memorial outside the home.
Neighbors said police had been called to the neighborhood hours before the shooting after people they described as gang members were seen causing a disruption on the block. Officers were gone by the time the group returned, according to neighbors.
Police have not said whether they have identified any suspects or whether one or more shooters were involved.
Neighbors stopped by the memorial to pay their respects but declined to show their faces because they feared retribution. One neighbor described the moments after the shooting.
“I came outside, called the ambulance, comforted Mom,” the neighbor said. “She said she just heard the shots, and then, she told her it hurt. And then, she fell.”
The neighbor had known Somoza since she was young.
“I will never forget the scene. I saw her grow up, and I’ll never forget,” the neighbor said.
Somoza’s aunt described her as a sweet young woman who put family first and was working at a fast-food restaurant as a way to save money for cosmetology school.
“She wanted to go back to start doing nails for people. She had that dream,” Gina Somoza said. “They killed their only princess. They changed the whole family tremendously.”
Police have not commented on the circumstances surrounding the shooting, saying only that the investigation remains ongoing.
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