The murder of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega walking down a Little Village street with her mother on a sunny Saturday afternoon is a breathtaking tragedy, even in a city that has become all-too numb to the murder of innocent children caught in the crossfire between rival gangs.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot underscored that point Monday when she extended her public condolences to the Ortega family.
“Losing a child under any circumstances is horrifying. And the circumstances in which this family lost this precious, precious child is almost unspeakable,” the mayor said Monday at an unrelated news conference to highlight the start of demolition work to reconstruct century-old elevated track north of the CTA’s Belmont Red Line station.
“As it always does, the Little Village community has really stood up and rallied to wrap its arms around the Ortega family and really help with every conceivable need.”
Lightfoot said she hopes Chicago Police detectives — “literally working 24/7” — will soon make an arrest.
“I can’t get into a lot of details. But I can tell you … that there are some promising leads. And I hope that we’ll have a more substantive announcement soon,” she said.
At a news conference later Monday, CPD Supt. David Brown said gang conflicts in Little Village led to Melissa’s death, and “we will be relentless in our efforts to pursue any and all gangs involved with this tragic murder.”
Police also are working closely with the Mexican consulate in Chicago, Brown added. He urged anyone with information to call in tips; a reward of up to $15,000 has been offered.
“We have too many hard days like this” in Chicago, Brown said.
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The mayor pushed back hard against those who claim she is focusing on “the wrong things” by continuing to lobby for her controversial plan to seize the ill-gotten assets of Chicago gang leaders.
Calling gangs and guns “primary drivers” of Chicago violence, Lightfoot said the “notion that we would not use every tool to go after them and, particularly to take away the profit motive” is ludicrous.
She noted that Melissa’s murder was the result of an “inter-gang conflict.”
“Obviously, this little girl was not the intended target. But, the fact that they are reckless and operate without any regard for the sanctity of human life—we’ve got to stand up and stop them and use every tool at our disposal to do so,” she said.
“We continue to be very strong and aggressive in our gang investigations and making sure that we’re taking guns out of their hands taking drugs out of their hands. But we also have to go after the profit motive. ... Our Victims Justice Ordinance is focused on doing just that Going before a court. Putting together evidence that identifies gang leaders — the hierarchy, the shot-callers—who are wreaking havoc on our neighborhoods.”
The ordinance that Lightfoot called an “absolute necessity” in the war on gangs has been stalled for months amid stiff resistance from the City Council.
Nevertheless, Lightfoot said she looks forward to a final vote “and its passage.”
“We cannot rest while we see this increase in violence. A lot of it is driven by gangs and illegal guns. If we go after the profit motive, we’re going to reduce the incentive for the gangs. We’re gonna reduce their ability to buy illegal guns and use their profits to continue to further their business,” she said.
“We’ve got to demonstrate to our residents in neighborhoods under siege that we are there by their sides. We are not gonna leave any stone unturned until we bring peace to those neighborhoods.”
Contributing: Tom Schuba
