Mashell Rena Appleton, a 59-year-old African American woman, was killed on the morning of July 15, 2018, in Chicago. She was getting into a vehicle in the 900 block of North Kedvale around 7:15 a.m., preparing to drive to a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention in Romeoville with two friends, a 71-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman. An armed man approached and announced a carjacking; the driver accelerated to flee and the assailant fired into the back of the car, striking Mashell in the back of the head. She was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

No arrests were reported immediately after the shooting. Area North detectives opened an investigation and the suspect remained at large. Family and community members described Mashell as nurturing, strong, and committed to her faith; her son, Willis Appleton, publicly appealed for the perpetrator to turn themselves in. If anyone has information about the shooting or remembers activity in the 900 block of North Kedvale that morning, please come forward.