A husband is speaking out publicly about his grief after his wife was shot and killed while walking in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood.
According to police, Nicole Struk was walking down a street in the 3300 block of West North Avenue at approximately 6:11 p.m. Saturday when she was shot in the mid-back, according to Chicago police.
Brenndon, her husband, wrote that the couple heard three shots.
“We heard three gun shots. Nicole collapsed into me, while grabbing her back, screaming in pain,” he recounted. “We dropped to the ground. I couldn’t believe she had been shot.”
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Struk was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was one of eight people fatally shot in the city over the weekend, and now, her friends and family are left mourning her death, and remembering the large impact that she had on their lives.
Saul Palos Rodriguez, a close friend of Nicole’s, says that she was a “beacon of hope,” and that she was one of the most supportive people he had ever met in his life.
“All the violence has to stop,” he said. “She was a beacon of hope, especially for those in the LGBTQ community.”
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Rodriguez says that his friend always made sure that others got home safe after going out, and that he will always remember her in the future whenever he crosses the threshold into his home.
“I will remember her when I walk home. She always made sure I was safe,” he said.
No suspects are in custody in connection with the shooting, and Area Five detectives are continuing to investigate.
