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Police Vow To 'Stop The Violence' At Busy Edgewater Spot Where 2 Killed

By Linze Rice | May 11, 2016 11:12am
 Police from the Lincoln Police District assembled at the intersection of Ridge Avenue and Paulina Street Wednesday morning for an outdoor roll call just down the block from where 21-year-old Karina Soria-Bautista was killed May 2.
Police from the Lincoln Police District assembled at the intersection of Ridge Avenue and Paulina Street Wednesday morning for an outdoor roll call just down the block from where 21-year-old Karina Soria-Bautista was killed May 2.
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DNAinfo/Linze Rice

EDGEWATER — Where 21-year-old mom Karina Soria-Bautista was gunned down early May 2 at one of the North Side's busiest intersections, stood seven officers Wednesday vowing to do "everything in our power to stop the violence."

The officers hail from the Lincoln Police District, which covers part of Edgewater, where the shooting took place about 12:55 a.m. in front of the Heart O' Chicago Motel, 5990 N. Ridge Ave.

Around 9 a.m., police assembled in a parking lot at Ridge Avenue and Paulina Street, just around the corner from the motel, to show their presence to not only the community, but "gangbangers" as well.

Referencing Soria-Bautista's slaying, police said they would continue to "take appropriate action however, wherever and whenever we can" to keep the public safe and bring criminals to justice.

Karina Soria-Bautista was shot and killed while waiting for a red light in front of the Heart O' Chicago Motel, 5990 N. Ridge Ave. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]

On Wednesday, a fog rolled over the Heart O' Chicago Motel where guests eating breakfast looked out at the intersection where Soria-Bautista was killed just two weeks ago and commuters whizzed by on their way to work.

But on the warm Monday morning Soria-Bautista was stopped at a red light in front of the motel, the scene was much different.

Police said Soria-Bautista was driving an SUV with a man in the passenger seat who authorities said is a documented gang member.

While the two stopped in the 5900 block of North Ridge Avenue at 12:55 a.m., a gray car pulled up and a man inside opened fire, said Officer Ana Pacheco, a Chicago Police Department spokeswoman.

After being shot, Soria-Bautista drove north on Ridge Avenue for about another block before finally pulling up next to Patch Landscaping and Snow Removal, 6107 N. Ridge Ave., where the SUV was found.

Soria-Bautista had been shot in her head, Pacheco said. She was rushed to St. Francis Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A third person had been with the two earlier, but had been dropped off on the South Side before Soria-Bautista and her boyfriend headed back north.

Dawn Valenti, a victim advocate speaking on behalf of Soria-Bautista's family, said her parents had only recently met the man identified by police as her boyfriend, but wanted to clear the victim's name when it came to gang affiliations.

"Her daughter was not in a gang; she had no gang ties, she was a working young lady. They really want the public to know she was a good person, and she had nothing to do with gangs," Valenti said. "She had just met this guy, and leaves behind a son who now is like so many children in this city, unfortunately, who now don't have a parent."

Valenti said Soria-Bautista was the mother of a 5-year-old boy, worked at Naf Naf Grill in Naperville, and was beloved by many friends and family who were devastated by her death.

A man was shot dead last summer at a car wash less than a half-block away from Soria-Bautista's slaying. Devone Matthews was slain on June 25, 2015, at Super Spray Car Wash, 5959 N. Ridge Ave.

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