Community gathers for victims of Back of the Yards mass shooting
Pink balloons waved in the wind and candles flickered as dozens of Back of the Yards residents gathered at a vigil Monday for the victims of a mass shooting that killed a 9-year-old girl and left 10 others wounded over the weekend.
Family, neighbors and community members gathered in the 2000 block of West 52nd Street, where 11 people were shot Saturday — including Ariana Molina, 9, who was killed when a bullet struck her in the head.
Residents held pink heart-shaped balloons and white candles as the Rev. Carmelo Mendez of St. Oscar Romero Parish led a prayer to honor Ariana.
Mendez had seen the family Saturday morning as he led a Catholic confirmation ceremony at the parish. The family was celebrating the confirmation when gunfire erupted.
“The same faith community that celebrated with them will now join them in prayers and join them in mourning. We all know it is very painful to lose a loved one,” Mendez said.
The wounded included seven adults and three boys. Two brothers, ages 1 and 8, were shot several times in the abdomen. Their aunt, Alejandra Velasquez, said the boys were still hospitalized. A 9-year-old boy suffered a graze wound on his hand.
The wounded adults ranged in age from 19 to 40, according to police. Ariana’s mom was shot in her shoulder and remains hospitalized, Velasquez said. A 36-year-old man suffered gunshot wounds to his arms and back and was in critical condition. The other adults wounded were listed in good condition.
Police said the shooting was likely the result of gang violence.
Family members and members of Increase the Peace, an anti-violence advocacy group, clarified that the family was not affiliated with gangs and urged anyone with information on the shooters to come forward.
Ariana’s cousin, Esmeralda Vargas, was on campus at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign when her mother called Saturday to tell her what had happened. Vargas said she heard her family members screaming in the background.
“It truly broke me that I couldn’t be here and help them,” Vargas said. “I just want to let my family know that I love them so much and I’m sorry that we lost my baby cousin. My family was celebrating a religious event and we are not gang-affiliated. It breaks my heart to see comments that we deserve this. We need to fix that narrative because that’s not what happened here.
“I just can’t believe this is what I come home to. She was so little. I’m tired of this happening. It’s unfair. I never thought that my family would be here. This keeps happening again and again. Why?”
Julia Molina, Ariana’s grandmother, said she misses her only granddaughter’s hugs and kisses.
“I miss my little girl, she was my only princess,” she said.