Abbygail Somoza, 22, was fatally shot Saturday night outside a Little Village home in Chicago. She was standing with her mother on the sidewalk after a shopping trip, and the shooting came while the family was talking about Halloween plans.
Gina Somoza said her niece was working at a fast-food restaurant to save money for cosmetology school. She said Abbygail wanted to return and start doing nails for people, and described the loss this way: "They killed their only princess. They changed the whole family tremendously."
West 23rd Street
A neighbor said she came outside after the shooting, called the ambulance and comforted Abbygail's mother. Another neighbor said, "She said she just heard the shots, and then, she told me it hurt. And then, she fell." The same neighbor added, "I will never forget the scene. I saw her grow up, and I'll never forget."
Neighbors said police had already been called to the block hours before the shooting after people they described as gang members were seen causing a disruption. They said officers were gone by the time the group returned, leaving the sidewalk outside the home exposed when the shots were fired.
After the shooting, a plush bat was placed at a small memorial outside the home. Police said the investigation remains ongoing, and they have not said whether they have identified any suspects or whether one or more shooters were involved. For relatives and neighbors on the block, the urgent question now is whether anyone will be identified before the neighborhood is left to absorb another death at the same front door.
