‘She will find peace’: GoFundMe account supports Mount Prospect shooting victim

The woman who was shot multiple times Monday by her former boyfriend, who turned the gun on himself and ended his life, is showing daily improvement, her daughter Sara Hoefert said.

But Marianne Mock faces a long physical recovery and a longer psychological one.

To support her in that recovery, a GoFundMe account has been created.

Sara said her mom had surgery Tuesday to remove bullets from her body. No further surgeries are expected, even though not everything was removed — she said more harm could be done removing the bullets than leaving them be.

Michael Work, 53, of Shorewood, Wisconsin, followed the 63-year-old Mock into the secured garage of a condominium building on the 1200 block of West Northwest Highway at about 4:45 p.m.

Mock had just come home from work and was on the phone with Sara when Work ambushed her, said Mount Prospect Mayor Paul Hoefert, whose son Alex is married to Sara.

Police said Work drove his vehicle into Mock’s car, got out and then began firing multiple times.

Mock feigned death as Work fatally shot himself, the mayor said. Meanwhile, Sara, who was working at her job in a Mount Prospect salon, told someone to call 911 while she stayed on the line.

Police arrived and found Mock conscious and Work unconscious. Both were taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where Work later died.

Alex said the family is hoping she will be released within the next couple of days. He said she is in a lot of pain but walking around.

“They're just keeping an eye on all her wounds and making sure they're healing OK before they discharge her,” Sara said. “She’s still in shock. I think she is just focusing on trying to feel better, because she is in so much pain.”

Alex said his mother-in-law has shared the details of what happened with close family.

“She was conscious during the whole thing,” he said.

A tremendous outpouring of support, from sending flowers to contributing approximately $25,000 to the GoFundMe account, has been shown, family said.

“She has had visitors basically around the clock. That has been very humbling for our whole family,” Alex said.

Sara said her mom is on short-term disability and will not be able to go back to her job for some time.

“She is an incredibly strong person,” Alex said. “There is no doubt that in the very near future, she will find peace. I am certain of that.”

Both Alex and Sara were shocked by what Work did — Sara thought that her mother and Work had a peaceful breakup.

“We really liked him,” Sara said. “I honestly would not have thought this would have happened in a million years. It’s honestly heartbreaking because it was so deceiving.”

“I considered him a friend, and I told him that on multiple occasions,” Alex said.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, assistance is available by calling (800) 799-7233 or texting “BEGIN” to 88788.