Woman shot and killed in front of her kids had order of protection against ex-boyfriend
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A family is angry after a mother was shot and killed outside her West Side home Wednesday morning right in front of her two children.
Maria Roque's family said they know who shot her, and why, but the question is how a system designed to protect victims of domestic violence failed.
Siblings are like best friends, especially when they're the oldest.
"She was the mom, I would say that," said Maria's twin brother, Andres. "My brothers and me, she was the one that would be like, 'Why are guys arguing?'"
Andres is now missing his other half – Maria.
"I want to cry. I want to throw things, but I can't," Andres said.
They've been attached since day one, so the last few days without her have "been really hard for everybody," Andres said.
"Especially, I know, my brothers; and right now they are suffering a little bit, but we just want justice for her," he said.
Maria's best friend, Mari Duran, said she hopes that justice comes very soon.
Wednesday morning, Andres' heart sank when he got a call from his aunt.
"She just told to get to the hospital, and I said, 'What's going on?' And she was like, 'she got shot,'" he said.
Police said, just before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, Roque was shot multiple times in front of her home in the Austin neighborhood.
"Me hearing my nephew cry and say, 'I tried to save her,'" Andres said.
Her two kids, ages 8 and 14, witnessed their mother take her last breath.
"One in the car, and one he heard the shot, and see his own mom on the stairs, trying to breathe, and she put in CPR. That's the most horrible," Andres said.
Maria's twin brother and her best friend both were left broken, along with those who came to a vigil on Sunday to honor just days after her death.
"She was a giver. She wore her heart on her sleeves," Duran said. "You would've never known she was going through the stuff that she was going through, the nightmare she was living."
The nightmare was a violent relationship. Maria's family said she was scared, even after filing multiple orders of protection.
A warrant was issued for her ex-boyfriend's arrest on Tuesday after violating that order, one day before her death.
"She was one to kind of wipe it off, like, 'It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay,'" Duran said.
A new order of protection was granted on Wednesday, just hours after she was shot and killed, too late to save her.
Now her family is losing faith in a system meant to protect the vulnerable.
"A piece of paper is not going to save a life. As you see, Maria is not here, and the paper didn't save her," Duran said.
Police confirmed the shooting appeared to be domestic-related, and remained under investigation as of Sunday.
Meantime, Maria's family is preparing for her funeral later this week.
