Maria Roque was a “smiley” person who would do anything to help others, especially her two children, said heartbroken relatives after she was gunned down on her front lawn in the Austin neighborhood this week.
Roque, 34, had just placed her daughter in the back seat of a rental car and was in front of her home in the 500 block of North Long Avenue Wednesday when a gunman approached her. As Roque ran away screaming, the man chased her and shot her in her shoulder, chest and thumb, around 6:20 a.m., according to a police report.
When police arrived, paramedics were trying to save her life as she lay on the front lawn. An autopsy Thursday determined Roque died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Her death was ruled a homicide.
As of Friday, no one was in custody.
Roque had filed an order of protection against an ex-boyfriend before she was fatally shot. Court records show that man violated the order when he called her, and a warrant for his arrest was issued Tuesday, the day before Roque was killed.
On the day of the shooting, the order of protection was extended until Jan. 3, court records show. It had been extended once before, on Nov. 28.
Relatives said the man’s violent behavior had escalated in recent weeks, and Roque had recently ended a long-term relationship with him.
Police wouldn’t say whether the man who was the subject of the order of protection is a suspect in the homicide investigation.
The order of protection, originally filed and signed by a judge Nov. 7, bars the man from contacting Roque, including entering her home, and harassing, stalking or intimidating her, among other provisions, court records show. He was also prohibited from taking Roque’s daughter or pets from her care.
The family was scared Roque would be harmed by the man, according to her aunt, Mari Carpenter. He had allegedly harassed Roque before, including attempting to burn her car, break her windows and destroy her belongings, relatives said. Family members felt the order of protection wasn’t doing enough, Roque’s cousin, Maritza Galvez-Hernandez, said.
“Chicago still allowed this man to roam free after she went and pleaded, told them, ‘I’m scared for my life,’” Galvez-Hernandez said.
Roque worked in customer service and was interested in health and wellness. Relatives said she would do anything to help — especially her two kids, ages 8 and 14.
Family members said Roque was a loving and committed mom who had “dreams and aspirations” in her career.
Roque was a “mom to everybody, especially to me,” her twin brother Andres Roque said.
“She was a support. She was everything to the family,” Roque said. “Right now, it’s just like we’re broken without her.”
Roque’s daughter and son are staying with family, but Carpenter said she’s worried about their future. Family members said Roque’s son witnessed the shooting and tried to revive his mom afterward.
“It’s not fair,” Carpenter said. “I am very angry that her life got cut short, very upset, and I’m very worried about her kids. I don’t know what’s going to happen with them without a mom.”
Galvez-Hernandez said Roque’s daughter is “very numb” and “terrified now, looking for mom, [asking] ‘Where’s mom?’”
Friday night, about 35 people gathered outside a Cicero bar to remember Roque.
Mari Duran, a friend of Roque’s and a survivor of domestic violence herself, said the system had failed her friend, as it had many others.
The lengthy process needed to seek an order of protection “does not work in our favor,” Duran said. “A piece of paper doesn’t protect anyone.”
She said the focus now will be protecting Roque’s children and ensuring there’s not “another body to bury” from domestic violence. “We’re just looking for justice ... this is our time to step up and fight for Maria.”
Roque’s family is raising money for funeral costs on GoFundMe, which had garnered more than $9,000 of a $15,000 goal Friday evening.
Contributing: Sophie Sherry, Violet Miller
Memorial table with Maria Roque’s picture set at the 5800 Corp bar in Cicero, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. Roque, 34, was shot to death Tuesday morning after she had just loaded her 8-year-old daughter in her car when an assailant ran up to her and fired several rounds outside her Austin neighborhood home.
Victor Hilitski/For the Sun-Times
