Late Wednesday, a mother and daughter were left fighting for their lives after shots rang out while they sat in their car on Chicago’s Northwest Side. The violence — seemingly coming from a passing vehicle — has shaken neighbors and police alike.
At about 9:14 p.m. on November 26, a dark-colored car pulled up beside the parked vehicle, which was stopped near the intersection of Madison and Cicero on the city’s Near West Side. Someone inside the other car opened fire with a rifle. The victims — a 49-year-old woman and her 28-year-old daughter — were inside, their lives forever altered.
According to preliminary police and EMS reports, the mother was shot in the arm and chest. Her daughter suffered multiple wounds: to the head, thigh, and lower leg. Police and paramedics later discovered the pair stopped on Central, between Fulton and Lake, after the car came to a halt.
The scene, investigators say, was chaotic. Neighbors reported hearing a burst of gunfire, then seeing a vehicle speed off. When first responders arrived, they found the two women badly wounded inside their car. Chicago police quickly set up a perimeter and canvassed the area, but as of now no arrests have been reported and no description of the suspect vehicle has been released publicly.
Friends and family of the victims described both women as quiet, hardworking, and full of life. “They didn’t deserve this,” one relative said, still shaken. “We just want answers — who did this, and why?” As the women remain hospitalized, loved ones have begun rallying around them, asking fellow Chicagoans with any information to come forward.
This shooting comes amid a troubling surge in violence in several Chicago neighborhoods — especially on the city’s West and Northwest Sides — where residents say they’ve grown accustomed to the sound of sirens piercing the night. Community leaders again are urging residents to work with police, reminding everyone that even a single clue — a suspicious car, a plate number — could help.
At press time, the families are holding vigil at a local hospital, hoping for any sign of recovery. Meanwhile, investigators say they are canvassing nearby surveillance footage and urging anyone with dash-cam or doorbell video from that night to contact the Chicago Police Department. The young woman’s wounds are described as critical, and the mother remains in serious but stable condition.
As the community reels from yet another senseless act of violence — this time targeting innocent lives inside their own car — one sentiment echoes on every block: “This could have been anyone’s mom, anyone’s daughter.”
