Woman shot to death on Austin sidewalk

SHARE Woman shot to death on Austin sidewalk

A 47-year-old woman was shot and killed early Saturday in the West Side Austin neighborhood.

Officers responded to gunshots at 12:25 a.m. and found Elisa Corona Vargas lying on a sidewalk at the opening of an alley in the 5300 block of West Iowa, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Police said she had multiple gunshots to her head and body. Vargas, who lived in the same block, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chicago police officers restrain family members who rushed into the crime scene after police uncovered the body of a woman who was shot and killed, Saturday morning, in the 5300 block of West Iowa, in the Austin neighborhood. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Chicago police officers restrain family members who rushed into the crime scene after police uncovered the body of a woman who was shot and killed, Saturday morning, in the 5300 block of West Iowa, in the Austin neighborhood. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Shortly after the shooting, Vargas’s family members rushed to her body and cried. A dozen police officers attempted to hold them back.

The motive of the shooting was unknown Saturday night, police said. Detectives were canvasing the area for witnesses and surveillance video. No one is in custody.

An autopsy Saturday found that Vargas died from multiple gunshot wounds. Her death was ruled a homicide.

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