Dozens of people came together in worship and in prayer showing love and support for the family of U.S. postal worker Mechellea Williams.
“She had an effect on everybody that she worked with and they loved her as she loved her coworkers at her job,” Elise Foster, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11 Chicago said.
They gathered in front of the post office in River North where she worked, holding green balloons to honor her life.
“We’re a close knit family and when somebody loses a family member, we feel the effect here at the workplace,” she said.
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The mother of three had been on the job for eight months with USPS when she was fatally shot while off the clock in Orland Park.
“I know you all heard about the attacks we’re all dealing with while we're on the clock and now we’re dealing with this violence off the clock,” Foster told NBC Chicago. “It’s a lot on us to go through this.”
The shooting happened early Wednesday morning at an apartment complex near Redbud and Indigo Lanes. Officers got there and found the 28-year-old woman shot multiple times in the vehicle. One neighbor said she heard the gunfire at the time.
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“When I ran to the window I saw a young man,” neighbor Jacqueline Morgan said. “I saw a young man running across like our wooded area and a car speeding down what is Pond Willow Drive.”
As the search continues for the person responsible, investigators said there is no danger to the public.
While her family waits for justice, her coworkers are doing their best to help her grieving family and releasing balloons to pay tribute to a life cut short.
The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force is handling the investigation alongside Orland Park police.
There is currently no information regarding a motive or person of interest.
