Thursday evening was an emotional one for family and friends of a bartender who returned to the scene where he was fatally shot in Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood.
“I want to speak to Chicago directly,” said Salvador Herrera's sister Marcelina Herrera. “It’s not time to cower in fear if its justice and change that we are seeking.”
Herrera's loved ones leaned on each other for support and lit candles to honor his memory at a vigil. Herrera was remembered as a caring and hardworking man whose family said always did the right thing.
"He loved his mom, his sisters, his friends in that order," said one friend. "I’ve never seen him angry... just a good model person, good citizen and its ashamed for something like this to happen. He never had any enemy."
“They say you can’t choose your family you can choose your friends and I’m really glad I chose him,” another friend commented.
The 42-year-old was shot and killed near South Loomis and West Flournoy on Oct. 15. Family said he was driving home from work as a bartender in the suburbs when he tried to intervene in a vehicle break-in.
“He was a hero, every moral fiber when nobody was looking at him,” said his cousin Jay Lopez. “What did he do? He stopped something that was wrong and guess what? He was punished for it, and that should not be the world that we live in.”
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His family trying to drum up new leads in this case and calling on the community to help.
“We must stand together and raise our voices and to demand accountability for Sal and for all the victims of gun violence,” said his sister Remis Herrera.
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It remains unclear if any surveillance cameras nearby captured the shooting or whether police have identified a person of interest. Hererra's sister, meanwhile, said she hopes his memory will be a catalyst for change and a call to action.
“Brother, brother,” Remis cried. “May you rest in peace and may your memory forever inspire us to work for a safer and more just community.”
