Hoffman Estates family struggles after shooting

Until a month ago, there were no beds in Martha Mendoza's apartment in Hoffman Estates.

So when doctors told her in late March that her 12-year-old son, seriously wounded in a shooting on March 10, was about to be discharged from the hospital, Mendoza was happy, but also a bit panicked.

She needed to find a bed, fast, so her son could properly recover at home.

Mendoza takes pride in keeping a neat home. The beige living room carpet is clean, and pink curtains adorn the windows overlooking the parking lot of the Salem Ridge apartment complex in Hoffman Estates.

An image of the Virgin Mary hangs by the TV; the only other furniture is a small table with a stereo, a dining table with chairs, and a set of plastic drawers.

Mendoza, a single mom, says she'd love to have beds for the whole family, which includes 12- and 20-year-old sons, a 14-year-old daughter and her father, Jose Mendoza.

The Daily Herald is not naming the children at Mendoza's request.

But the family's income just isn't enough, she says, especially after her hours at work were cut about a year ago.

Mendoza and her father work at Zippy's restaurant in Hoffman Estates, a 25-minute walk that is bearable in summer, but arduous in winter. Her oldest son works an occasional factory job. The family's earnings are barely enough to cover the $730 monthly rent, and necessities like food and utilities, she says.

Mendoza found herself in charge of raising her children six years ago, after their father went back to Mexico and took up with another woman.

"It's very hard being a single mom," she says. "I do what I can, I work to give my children what they need, but it's hard."

Mendoza tried moving back to Mexico with her children for a time to be near her family, but there just wasn't enough work to make a living, she says. Plus, the kids, born in the United States, missed their American life, she says.

Two years ago the family moved back into the Salem Ridge complex, where they lived before the move. Her son is a sixth-grader at Enders-Salk Elementary School in Schaumburg, and her daughter goes to Schaumburg High School.

Without beds, everyone simply got used to sleeping on the floor with pillows and blankets, Mendoza says.

"Beds are expensive," she said. "But it would be nice to have that."

'I went running'On the evening of March 10, Mendoza, her youngest children and her daughter's 16-year-old boyfriend were watching a telenovela when the kids decided to get treats from the 7-Eleven, a couple of blocks away in Schaumburg."My son wanted a Gatorade. He loves Gatorade," Mendoza said, her voice betraying emotion.As the children crossed Bode Road around 8:30 p.m., someone in a passing vehicle started firing. At least six shots were fired, hitting Mendoza's son in the arm and abdomen, and her daughter's boyfriend in the torso, lower abdomen and legs, police said. Another bullet grazed her daughter.The kids picked themselves up and ran into the 7-Eleven, where employees hustled them into the back and called 911."My daughter called me with her boyfriend's cell phone, and I went running," Mendoza said. "It seemed like it happened in an instant, they had just left."Police believe it was a gang-related shooting, but they don't think Mendoza's children are involved with gangs, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said. Witnesses reported hearing the shooting, and police analyzed videotapes from security cameras in the area, but Nebl would not say what the tapes showed.Police are still looking for a gold pickup truck that was reportedly seen leaving the scene of the shooting, he said."The investigation is very much open and active," and police are "looking at the possibility" that the 16-year-old was the target of the shooting, Nebl said.Police are also "looking at the possibility" that the shooting was connected to an altercation that took place in the Salem Ridge parking lot earlier that same evening, between a group of kids, including Mendoza's children and her daughter's boyfriend, and a boy who doesn't live in the complex."We have a good idea as to what happened, but it just takes time to put it together," Nebl said. "We have names and we have talked to a lot of people, but there is a difference between what you know and what you can prove."The recoveryWhile Mendoza's daughter was able to go home the evening of the shooting, her son spent three weeks at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates recovering, his mother almost constantly by his side."He never wanted me to leave the room, he wanted me near him all the time," she said. "To give him motivation to get better, I would tell him that Brownie (his hamster) was waiting for him at home."Just before her son was finally discharged March 30, Mendoza secured a bed for him with the help of Kathy Kohlstedt, family intervention specialist for the Community Resource Center, whose offices are in the Salem Ridge complex.Kohlstedt has known Mendoza for several years because her 12-year-old took part in the center's programs when he was younger.Kohlstedt says she put out a call to her contacts, and was able to get a bed from the nonprofit organization Palatine Assisting Through Hope."Not having beds is not unusual here," she says of the families who live in the apartment complex. "There is such a need for resource centers to help out families like (the Mendozas)."Doctors told Mendoza her son must rest and gradually regain his strength, and return to school only when he is up to it. He is now able to walk but is still weak, and has to wear a temporary colostomy bag for at least a couple more months."I spend all my time with him," she says. "We walk a little outside, we watch TV, I clean and change his (colostomy) bag."The boy is getting home tutoring provided by Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54. The district is required to provide a minimum of five hours of tutoring per week to students who are unable to attend school because of a medical condition, said Terri McHugh, District 54's community relations director.Although shy around strangers and reluctant to answer questions, the boy perks up and nods vigorously when asked if he misses school."I like math," he said, smiling widely and continuing to pet Brownie. Later, he wonders out loud if one can give baths to hamsters.His friends came to see him in the hospital, he says, and come to visit him at home almost every day to play with him. He says he is not in pain.What about the shooting? "I don't remember anything," he says.Many worriesMendoza says she does her best to supervise her children and make sure they stay out of trouble.The Salem Ridge apartment complex has always been a quiet place to live, with kids freely walking around or riding bikes. Still, she never let her own children venture too far from the apartment, especially in the evening.She allows her daughter to date the 16-year-old boy, a student at Schaumburg High School, because she knows his parents and believes he is a "good boy," she says."I have seen him play with his younger brothers, his parents are good people," she says. The two have been a couple for nearly a year. The boyfriend is now back in school, Mendoza says.The boyfriend walks her daughter from school, and then comes over in the evening from 8 to 10 p.m. to spend time with her and watch TV. While they are at home, they are under Mendoza's supervision in the living room. If they leave, it's to go to the store.But despite Mendoza's precautions, the unthinkable happened to her kids."Now it makes me nervous to walk out with my son, especially in the evening," she says.Her other big worry is financial. Mendoza has been off work since the day of the shooting because she has been nursing her son full-time. Her father's and older son's salaries are not enough to pay the bills.She received some food from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg, where she used to go to Friday prayer. She is also waiting for her tax refund to come in the mail.But the due date for rent is looming, and she is not sure what will happen next, she said."Last month we used the last we had saved," she said. "For next month, we don't have money."True18881836The 12-year-old and his hamster, Brownie, are close companions.Bill Zars | Staff PhotographerTrue