Local News

1 Shot Dead, 1 Wounded In Ukrainian Village Bar

CHICAGO (CBS) ― A North Side bartender is dead after being killed on the job by a stray bullet. It happened overnight in Ukrainian Village. The bartender was working when bullets entered the bar, hitting her and a customer. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot spoke with her friends and neighborhood residents.


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"I'm still in shock," said Enelda Canhui, victim's neighbor. "I cannot believe it."

Margarita Bunuelos' neighbor is struggling to understand how Bunuelos can no longer be alive.

"I was telling my mom, that we go into work, and we don't know if we're going to come back," Canhui said.

Police say Bunuelos was tending bar inside Alfredo's Bar last night when someone outside started shooting. A stray bullet hit a male customer in the hand. Bunuelos was shot in the stomach.

According to a Harrison Area detective, the two were "definitely not'' the target of the shooter, who was outside the bar.

Bunuelos, 38, and a 19-year-old man were taken to Stroger Hospital, according to police News Affairs.

Bunuelos was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital at 12:27 a.m. She died from a gunshot wound to the back, an autopsy determined Sunday. Her death was ruled a homicide.

"I heard six gunshots, really rapid succession," said witness Bert Velilla. "Everyone was kind of yelling, 'call 911.' I tried to get behind, get away from the windows, pretty much, you know, it was scary."

As officers marked shell casings last night, the light of day revealed seven bullet holes in the bar's front window. They are now covered with painted duct tape.

"It's absolutely shocking to me," said Nick Bodnar, neighborhood resident.

Bodnar describes Alfredo's Bar as your regular neighborhood bar, not a place known for trouble.

"Like generally, a pretty nice crowd actually and it was one of the places, once the bars shut down, you could go here and buy a six pack of beer," Bodnar said.

Now some who live in this community say they're surprised by this violence because it's an area in transition, with lots of new developments taking place right next to established businesses that have been in the community for a very long time.

"I've been living here 30 years and the area has been changing for better," said neighborhood resident Christina Wawryniuk.

As for those who know Bunuelos, they say she's a hard working person who was providing for her family.

"The oldest one just graduated from high school and the middle one just finished grammar school and she has the little one," Canhui said, fighting back tears. "Oh, my god. I feel so bad."

Bunuelos, a single mother, now leaves behind three children.

The customer who was inside the bar was shot in the hand by the stray gunfire. At last check with police, the man was in fair condition.

A bartender who answered the phone at Alfredo's Bar, 826 N. Ashland Ave., said the incident occurred about 11:45 p.m. Saturday and as of about an hour later police were investigating both inside and outside the establishment.

Harrison Area detectives are investigating and as of Sunday afternoon an arrest has not been made.

CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

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