‘Good Kid' Shot, Killed in North Side Park

Omar Estrada was sitting in Touhy Park with a girl when shots rang out

A high school senior who police say was a "good kid" died Friday morning after being shot in the head in what appears to be a random shooting.

"He never had a physical fight in his life, not even when he was a toddler.  He was very quiet.  He was very calm," said Luisa Gutierrez while mourning the loss of her son, Omar Estrada.

Estrada, 16, was sitting on a park bench in Touhy Park, in the city's Rogers Park neighborhood, Thursday night when shots rang out.

The lover of soccer was at the park to watch a game, family said.

A girl Estrada was with said she looked down and saw him lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his head.  The teen was pronounced dead just before 6 a.m. at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.

Thursday evening was foggy, and the girl said she didn't see the shooter and said she had no idea where the shots came from, explained Rogers Park District police Lt. Donald Holmen.  No shell casings were found and it is possible the shots were fired from a distance away.

Holmen said Estrada was a “good kid’’ who had no gang affiliations and no arrest record.

"I want for the police to find the person that took my baby from me," said Gutierrez.

Police have not had any recent problems in that park, Holmen said.  No one is in custody and the girl is not considered a suspect.

Belmont Area detectives are  investigating. 

Get Breaking SMS Alerts: Be the first to know when news breaks, and when weather changes dramatically.
News: Text CHIBREAKING to 622669
Weather: Text CHIWEATHER to 622669

Contact Us