In what Chicago Police are calling an "accidental" shooting, Nadia Manjarrez was killed when a gun went off inside her Portage Park neighborhood home on the Northwest Side on Friday night.
About 10 p.m., the 21-year-old Manjarrez and a 37-year-old man were inside the home in the 4800 block of West Hutchinson when the gun went off, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Manjarrez was struck in the head and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 10:50 p.m., authorities said.
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On a GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral expenses, her mother, Irma Martinez, wrote: Nadia “was the best of daughters beautiful, very noble, happy always made us laugh had the best of smiles, very friendly. Would never end how good and special it was for me and her brothers. She had many plans in the future, wanted to be a teacher, and she did not have to die this way, my daughter.”
The page had nearly doubled its goal of $2,000 in just two days.
Manjarrez was a 2014 graduate of Round Lake High School.
An autopsy Sunday did not rule on her cause and manner of death, with results pending further investigation, the medical examiner’s office said.
The gun was recovered and the man, whom friends said was Manjarrez' boyfriend, was initially detained for questioning, police said. As of Tuesday morning, he had been released without charges as Area North detectives continue to investigate.
In a Facebook post, Ald. John Arena (45th) wrote: "Over the weekend, Nadia Manjarrez was fatally wounded after her boyfriend allegedly shot her by accident. My sincerest condolences go out to Nadia's friends and family as they grieve the loss of their loved one. The incident is still under investigation, and I am in communications with the police as they gather more intelligence about what transpired to cause this senseless and avoidable death.
"It is one of two fatalities that occurred this past weekend in our city due to careless handling of a firearm. In the wake of this tragedy, I want to remind residents of the best practices for handling and securing firearms. These powerful weapons should be treated with the same level of consideration for the amount of damage that they can cause."
--Homicide Watch Chicago