‘When is Mommy getting up?’: Family Mourns Young Mother Killed in School Pickup Shooting

CHICAGO — A family is devastated after a 26-year-old single mother of four was shot and killed last week during what should have been a routine school pickup, leaving her young daughters to face Mother’s Day without her.

Crystal Cruz was picking up her 16-year-old brother and his friend from the Peace and Education Coalition High School in the Back of the Yards neighborhood last Tuesday when a motorcycle pulled up and two people opened fire on the car, according to the victim’s grandmother.

Cruz’s brother and his friend were both shot and are now recovering. Cruz did not make it home to her children.

“Crystal had plans for the future for her girls, and all this went down. And so now we’re devastated because now four little girls were left behind,” her grandmother said.

Cruz, described by her grandmother as “always kind, selfless and happy,” was devoted to her four daughters, who range in age from 6 to 10 years old.

The family has told the children that their mother will be watching over them from heaven. But the youngest child, a 6-year-old, still does not fully understand.

“She said to the grandma, ‘When is Mommy getting up? She’s sleeping.’ And it breaks our heart,” the grandmother said.

This past weekend, the girls still made Mother’s Day decorations, not quite grasping what has happened. The grandmother said the entire family is in shock and devastated.

Cruz’s memorial services are scheduled for this Wednesday and Thursday. No arrests have been reported.