CHICAGO, IL – Melissa Ortega, 8, had just arrived with her family from Mexico in August and while the family was hoping for a better life in America, they ended up in the country’s murder capital, Chicago.
On Sunday, Melissa was shot and killed in a hail of gunfire, just once incident out 20 shootings that left 4 dead this weekend in the Windy City.
Melissa was murdered on the 4000 block of West 26th Street in the Little Village Neighborhood. She was walking down the street with an adult guardian when gunshots rang out. When the gunfire subsided, she was laying on the ground with a gunshot wound to her head.
Police say neither Melissa nor her guardian were the intended victims of the shooting. The intended target, a 26-year-old male was also struck and is in critical condition at the hospital.
“Tonight, our union mourns the loss of another student from one of our school communities. This suffering is becoming all too familiar for many of Chicago’s children and families, who our educators nurture and support every day,” said the teachers of the Emiliano Zapata Academy where she attended school. “The Chicago Teachers Union sends its love to Melissa’s family and the Zapata Academy community, and wish them peace and healing from this heartbreaking tragedy.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has been blamed for the rise of violence and violent crime in the city offered their condolences.
“We wake today to the murder of 8-year-old Melissa in Little Village. Amy and I send our sincerest condolences to this heartbroken family and shattered community,” Lightfoot said. “We cannot let fear cause us to lose our humanity. Please come forward so that Melissa’s family will know that there is justice for her.”