Chicago OEMC dispatcher Natalia Rodriguez shot and killed while in Back of the Yards
A Chicago city employee and 911 dispatcher was killed in a shooting in Back of the Yards overnight.
Chicago police said a 50-year-old woman was driving in the 4500 block of South Wood Street at about 12:17 a.m. when she was shot. Her car then crashed into a parked SUV. No one was inside the SUV.
The woman was taken to Stroger Hospital where she died. She was identified as Natalia Rodriguez, a police communications operator at the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. OEMC said she had worked in the department for a decade, and was "a close colleague and friend to many who worked alongside her." They also said she was a "hard worker and dedicated call taker."
"Natalia's passing is a terrible loss to her family and to OEMC," the wrote on a statement. "Her contributions to 9-1-1 Operations and the City of Chicago will not be forgotten."
Cook County Crime Stoppers is now offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in her death.
Ald. Ray Lopez, who represents the 15th Ward where the shooting occurred, said a group of armed men surrounded the car before opening fire. He said police are investigating this as gang violence, and there may be more than one suspect involved. Chicago police have not confirmed his account.
"This is unfortunately not a new situation here in the Back of the Yards, where gang members take it upon themselves to kill someone in a vehicle they don't recognize," Lopez said. "We have individuals who know the family who are not going to tolerate this nonsense of having their own friends and family targeted by gangbangers too stupid to know the difference between their own neighbors and people who shouldn't be there."
Increase the Peace is a community organization focused on stopping violence in Back of the Yards. Executive Director Monse Ayala said first responders are also having to think about their own safety awhile trying to help break the cycle of violence.
"It's unfortunate they're also in a situation to make sure they're safe and doing their part they can, and seeing now this is something they're a victim of too," she said.
Area One detectives are investigating the shooting. No one is currently in custody, Chicago police said.
This is the second OEMC employee who has been shot and killed so far this year. On Feb. 6, police found the body of 36-year-old Da'J Flowers in her apartment in West Ridge in the 6900 block of North Bell Avenue. She was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to her abdomen and pronounced dead at the scene.
Flowers was a senior administrative assistant at OEMC. When she didn't show up to work, a deputy director called police for a wellbeing check.
A nationwide warrant was issued at the end of August for Darreon Plummer in connection to Flowers' murder. Records show he was arrested in Snohomish County, Washington, on Sept. 1 and was denied bail on Sept. 2. According to records, he remains in custody in Snohomoish County.
CBS News Chicago reached out to CPD about the developments in the Flowers shooting, who said their investigation remains ongoing and no one is currently in Chicago police custody.
