Flowers, candles; sidewalk shrine for woman fatally shot in West Englewood home

Flowers, balloons and empty bottles of alcohol were placed on the concrete in front of a West Englewood home. Next to them, leaning against a fence, were near pink and white posters reading “Rest in Peace.”

Nearby, tiny candles spelled out “Stella.”

The makeshift shrine to Estell Roberson was in the 6400 block of South Hermitage Avenue, where she was fatally shot Tuesday night.

Roberson — Stella to her friends and family — was sitting in her home a little after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when someone began firing into the house, fatally striking her in the abdomen. The 44-year-old grandmother was loved by many; some took to Facebook to share both anger and sorrow.

Alderman Raymond Lopez (15th) said it was almost a year to the day when he helped Roberson get her garbage carts stenciled so they wouldn’t be stolen. His interactions with her were minimal, and was part of a community outreach service his office participates in during the summer months. Though he’d known her only a short time, Lopez said, she seemed like a very happy person.

“You could be helping a person one minute, and then the next minute they could be wiped from this earth because of senseless violence,” Lopez said.

“Unfortunately this is a story that has repeated itself far too often in my ward,” Lopez added. “It pisses me off and it should piss everyone off who lives in Chicago too. This is not how we should live.”

Lopez’s ward includes the Brighton Park, Back of the Yards and West Englewood neighborhoods; all have experienced their share of gun violence over the years.

When the Sun-Times went to Roberson’s home, hoping to find out more about her, a man opened the front door slightly and declined an interview.

“We don’t speak to you,” he said, before shutting the door.