Melissa de la Garza was due to attend the School of the Art Institute in Chicago on a scholarship.
A standout wrestler lost her life in Chicago last week (per MSN). Melissa de la Garza (nicknamed Azul) was shot seven times as she sat in a car in front of her Chicago home, while she was video-chatting with her sister. She was just 18-years-old.
Melissa was a recent high school graduate. At Solorio Academy HS she was the only female wrestler on the team. She was due to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago on a scholarship.
Her father, Jose de la Garza, rushed outside to his daughter’s car after hearing gun shots. “He saw my sister sitting in the car,” said Isabel de la Garza—Melissa’s sister—at a recent press conference. “He was screaming her name, and she wasn’t responding … My dad opened the door and just held her.”
Jose de la Garza also spoke at the press conference. “It’s hard to put in words the loss we are feeling, for someone to take away my 18-year-old warrior princess. For someone to come and take that away for no reason—it doesn’t make any sense.”
The De la Garza family are now appealing to the public for help identifying Melissa’s killer or killers. Anyone with information about this incident is advised to contact Chicago’s Bureau of Detectives – Area One at (312) 747-8382.
Melissa’s friends have set up a gofundme campaign to raise funds for the De la Garza family. At this time of writing that campaign has raised $21,970.