GoFundMe raises thousands for woman killed, 14-year-old girl wounded in shooting

A GoFundMe page has raised thousands of dollars within hours after a Chicago woman was killed and a 14-year-old girl was wounded in a shooting Saturday evening outside a shopping mall in west suburban North Riverside.

Officers responded about 5:45 p.m. to a report of gunfire in the southwest parking lot of North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 W. Cermak Road, according to North Riverside police.

Maria Ruiz, 42, and the girl both suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital for treatment, police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Ruiz, of the Little Village neighborhood, was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m.

Police said the girl was expected to survive.

Investigators have determined that the shooting was domestic in nature, according to police.

A GoFundMe page created by 19-year-old Noel Ruiz, the son of Maria Ruiz, says the girl was Maria Ruiz’s daughter, and that the brother, sister and another 9-year-old brother are left without a mother or father. The page raised more than $15,000 within nine hours.

The shooting remained under investigation Sunday as investigators sought a person of interest.