Family seeks answers after father fatally shot on Pilsen front porch while taking college test

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A family is searching for answers after a 35-year-old man was shot and killed while taking a college test on the front porch of his Pilsen home, according to relatives and home surveillance video.

Charles Senase had recently moved to Chicago from Des Moines, Iowa, with his family and was pursuing his education at the Illinois Media School with hopes of becoming an audio engineer. His wife said the family had relocated to build a better future for their children.

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"We just want to know why. At least give my children some type of closure," Chelsea Senase, the victim's wife, said.

Photos and memorial items now surround the family's front porch, which shows evidence of gunfire. Chelsea Senase said the family had been focused on improving their future.

"We wanted to better our future for our children," she said.

The shooting occurred shortly before 7 p.m. Monday on 18th Place near Western, about two weeks after the family moved from Des Moines.

Home surveillance video shows a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt getting out of a blue car and walking toward the home. The video then shows the suspect opening fire, striking Charles Senase as he sat outside. The suspect is seen running back to the vehicle and driving away.

Chelsea Senase said she never expected such violence to reach her family.

"I never thought this would happen to me. I never thought it would happen in front of our home," she said.

The loss has left the family struggling with grief and uncertainty. Chelsea Senase said she was diagnosed with leukemia several months ago and worries about her children's future.

"I lost that sense of peace now. What if something happens to my health? Who are my kids going to have now?" she said.

Charles Senase's plans to complete college ended with the shooting, leaving behind a wife, two sons and a daughter.

Addressing the gunman, Chelsea Senase said: "May God bless your soul because you just ruined my whole world for the rest of my life and children's lives."

Days after the shooting, police were still searching for the shooter.

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