An infant faces a 25% chance of surviving after being delivered by doctors from a five-months pregnant woman fatally shot in a domestic incident in Portage Park, according to a police report obtained by the Sun-Times.
Meanwhile, detectives continue to interview a person of interest, a 42-year-old convicted felon who she lived with. No charges have been announced for the man.
About 4:50 a.m. Thursday, Edith Castrejon, 35, was in a bedroom with the man in the 5800 block of West Newport Avenue when she was shot in the chest, Chicago police said. She was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 6:24 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Before she died, doctors delivered her baby at 5:48 a.m., but their condition was critical, with only a “25% chance of survival,” according to a police report obtained by the Sun-Times.
Castrejon and the man being questioned were “domestic partners,” and the man told responding officers the two had been in bed when the gun, which was under a pillow, went off, according to the report.
“(Man questioned) believes that Castrejon tried to move the handgun and at the same time his hand was near the handgun and the gun went off, striking Castrejon in the chest,” the report said.
The man didn’t have a FOID card and is a convicted felon with five prior convictions, according to the report.
A handgun and bullet were found at the scene, according to the report.
Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th) told the Sun-Times the shooting was domestic and said that Castrejon leaves behind three other children: 12, 10 and under a year old. Members of Castrejon’s family told one of Cruz’s staff members they weren’t aware of issues in the home.
Cruz planned to speak with neighbors Friday afternoon about the shooting and the options available to residents in domestic violence or other dangerous situations. She encouraged residents to call the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline, 877-863-6338, if they need help.
“If you see something, say something,” Cruz said Friday morning. “Lend a hand. If you see someone who may need help, it’s important to know where they can call and that there is help available.”
A GoFundMe opened in honor of Castrejon said she was a “sister, aunt, sister-in-law, cousin and friend” as well as a “hard-working, fighting woman.” It had raised $630 of the $6,500 goal by noon Friday.