Mechelle Lewis / Photo from ABC7
BY TINA SFONDELES
Chicago Sun-Times
Charges were pending Wednesday for a man suspected of gunning down his ex-girlfriend as she sat in a minivan with her two young children in the South Shore neighborhood.
Mechelle Lewis, 28, was shot to death about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday as she sat in a parked minivan with her children in the 7200 block of South Bennett Avenue, authorities said.
After the shooting, the man took the children — an 8-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy — and drove away in a car, authorities said.
He drove to the Grand Crossing District police station at 7040 S. Cottage Grove Ave., where he was taken into custody, police said.
The children were not hurt and a weapon was recovered from the minivan, police said.
Family and friends on Wednesday taped a card to a tree outside an apartment complex and placed flowers and teddy bears on the ground near where Lewis was killed.
Neighbors heard gunfire Tuesday night.
David Lowry said the block has seen its share of crimes, with some gang activity in the area. Lowry said he worried most about the children.
“It’s just very sad. I feel for those kids,” said Lowry, pastor of St. Thomas Lutheran Church at 8000 S. Jeffery Blvd.
Lewis had been a manager at a McDonald’s restaurant near 47th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue for years. Employees said Lewis was a cheerful person. They plan to hold a prayer vigil for Lewis.
In a statement, the restaurant’s owner, Yolanda Travis, said the entire McDonald’s team is mourning the loss.
“She was such a beautiful person and will be missed,” Travis said.
The 34-year-old man in custody was arrested in 2002 for attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm, according to court records. In that case, he was found guilty of aggravated discharge of a firearm and was sentenced to six years in prison.