Family, friends of Chicago woman killed in Orland Park shooting hold vigil, balloon release

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The family and friends of a woman who was killed in a south suburban shooting held a vigil and balloon release Thursday.

Chicago postal worker Mechellea Williams was found shot to death Wednesday morning in a car in Orland Park.

Family members who attended the vigil near her Chicago home were heartbroken but determined, honoring their loved-one whose life was taken too soon.

"For them to take my baby away, we were her babies," the victim's sister Erykah Williams-Echols said. "And for them to take my sister away from us, it hurts so bad."

Friends and relatives of Williams gathering near her home Thursday on Chicago's Far South Side. The postal worker and mother of three was shot and killed in south suburban Orland Park Tuesday night while sitting in a vehicle at the Orland Ridge Towns & Villas apartment complex. She was found the next morning.

"I've been crying, and I've been like trying to... I want her to come back, because I've been crying all day," the victim's cousin Joshua Williams said.

READ MORE | Woman killed in Orland Park shooting identified as postal worker, officials say

"She would move the world for her sons," the victim's grandmother Lorna Williams Welch said. "She would move the world for her family. If somebody called her and needed her, she was there."

Orland Park Police have offered no motive for the murder, which involved one or more shooters who are still being sought.

Williams leaves behind three sons, including a 10-month-old. She was well-regarded by her fellow postal workers.

"It's devastating to all of us, you know, to lose a carrier. said Elise Foster with the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11 Chicago. "We're a big family, and when we lose one, it affects everybody."

With heavy hearts, Williams' family continues to seek answers, appealing to the public to help solve the mystery of her murder.

"My family, we're hurting out here," Erykah said. "All we want is justice, so if anybody know anything, just let us know. Please."

Williams' union said she worked for the postal service for about a year, which wasn't long enough to qualify for life insurance. Her family is now raising money for her funeral, and they have set up a GoFundMe page.