HERMOSA — Family and friends of Luis Mendoza, a 54-year-old man who was shot and killed while repairing his daughter’s car in Hermosa last month, are raising money to help cover funeral expenses.
An online fundraiser for Mendoza’s family had raised more than $7,500 of its $15,000 goal by Wednesday morning.
“With your help, we can make it much easier for this family suffering from losing their loved one,” the family wrote in the fundraiser.
Mendoza was killed about 7:25 p.m. Feb. 20 in the 2200 block of North Kedvale Avenue, police said.
The 54-year-old was fixing his daughter’s car near where he lives when someone fired shots at him from behind, his family wrote on the fundraiser page. Police said Mendoza was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound in his chest.
Mendoza was rushed to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police and his family said.
Police hadn’t made an arrest in the case as of Tuesday afternoon. Detectives are continuing to investigate.
Mendoza’s death has left his family heartbroken. His kids, grandkids, parents and siblings “mourn him with so much pain,” the family wrote in the fundraiser. Mendoza’s daughter declined to be interviewed.
The family said Mendzoa will be remembered as a “responsible man who helped them when they needed him, took his youngest daughter to school and provided for his younger children and elderly parents,” and as a “kind, hard-working man.”
Mendoza loved drinking hot coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts every morning and watching soccer, specifically the Pumas of the Mexican league, his family said.
A vigil for Mendoza, organized by anti-violence organization Parents for Peace & Justice, was held last weekend at the site of the shooting. In publicizing the event, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), who represents the area, said Mendoza was an “innocent bystander.”
Mendoza’s family is calling on anyone with information about the shooting to contact detectives or submit an anonymous tip online.
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