HARTFORD, Conn — Friends, family, and community members gathered outside of 56-year-old Sylvia Cordova's Hartford home Sunday evening for a vigil remembering her. The unintended victim of what police believe was a drive-by shooting, she was killed inside her own home on Sisson Avenue doing something she loved: cooking.
"If you go to her apartment, the first thing she'll tell you is, are you hungry? You know she always was feeding somebody," said Taisue Perez, her daughter. "My mom was a happy, sweet person, and she was always available for anyone that needed her. If anybody was sick, she was there, bringing soup, and just being there taking care of people like she always did," she said.
Affectionately known as "Pebbles," it was her family she loved most. She was a mother of six children, a grandmother to 13, and a dog mom to a chihuahua named Tico.
"That was her pride and joy, her grandkids and her children," said Perez. "She always said that her dog was her baby too and that if anything happened to her, we had to take care of the dog," she said.
Her death shocked the community—a senseless act of violence in a city that has seen so much tragedy just this year.
"The idea that you're in your own house and something like this happens, it's bad enough that you're in the street walking and something happens, but you're in your house where you think you should be safe and you're not," said Carol Dorsey of Mothers United Against Violence, the organization that led the vigil.
"How many more? How can people continue to take people's lives and not care about other people?" said Henrietta Beckman, president of MUAV.
Hartford Police said they found the assault rifle used in the deadly shooting, but no arrests have been made yet.
"They're not going to rest. We've got, I think, some of the best, finest detectives and police officers I think in the country, and they take this personally. They take it to heart, and I know they're working around the clock," said Mayor Luke Bronin.
Cordova's family has a message for the community.
"We just want justice. So, if anybody knows anything, just say it. Don't stay quiet. Tomorrow it could be your mom, a family member, just call the Hartford Police," said Perez.
If you do have information, you can call Hartford Police's anonymous tip line at (860) 722-TIPS (8477)
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