Search continues for shooter in murder of woman, 25, sitting in car

ByWill Jones WLS logo
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Search for Aaren O'Conner's killer continues
Aaren O'Connor, 25, had recently moved from California to Chicago for a new job and to be with her boyfriend.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The search continues Saturday for the person who fired a stray bullet that hit a 25-year-old woman while she was sitting in her car last week in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood.

Aaren O'Connor, who had recently moved to Chicago from California to be closer to her boyfriend, was in her vehicle near 21st Street and South Damen when she was killed on Feb. 5.

"I watched her die. I held her hand the entire time," said her boyfriend, Carlos Sorta. "I ask the neighborhood to come forward with more information and to realize that this could have been anyone sitting right there. It just happened to be Aaren."

On Saturday, volunteers - who included her friends and some who didn't know her -- partnering with Crime Stoppers to go door to door in the neighborhood passing out fliers.

"I moved from Wisconsin. I am from a small town and just thinking she moved all the way here to have this happened to her. It's really sad," said volunteer Kaitlin Cumlien.

Many in this neighborhood are on edge and police are asking the public for help.

"We have a number of promising leads but we're at the point where we just need that one more call, that one piece of information," said Gene Roy, chief of detectives for the Chicago Police Department.