A woman who was working at a Wicker Park Walgreens early Sunday was attacked by a knife-wielding man and stabbed to death inside the business, according to Chicago police.
Just after 9:30 a.m., authorities were called to a Walgreens store, 1372 N. Milwaukee Ave., to investigate a homicide, according to police. The 32-year-old woman had been working in the store when she was approached by a man who “stabbed the female victim multiple times and fled the scene,” police said.
A person of interest is being question as of Monday morning, Chicago police spokeswoman Ofc. Ana Pacheco wrote in an email.
The woman, identified as Olga Calderon, was pronounced dead at 9:55 a.m. at the location, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Police do not confirm business names, but the parking lot for the Walgreens remained blocked off by yellow police tape Sunday afternoon. A spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office also confirmed the woman was pronounced dead at that address.
Standing near the store Sunday afternoon, Officer Jose Jara said
the assailant “walked into the store, identified (the) victim, who is an employee of the store, and stabbed her.”
Detectives are searching the area in hopes of identifying any additional surveillance video that might show the suspect before or after he went into the store. Police also taped off portions of the block at North Wicker Park and North Wolcott Avenue into the afternoon.
Officials said nothing was stolen from the store. It wasn’t clear whether the assailant knew or specifically targeted the woman.
“We cannot provide any further comment (as) this remains an open investigation,” Officer Roberto Garduno, a police spokesman, said in an email.
No arrests had been made.
In an emailed statement, Jim Cohn, a spokesman for Deerfield-based Walgreens, said the company is cooperating with the police investigation and employees were “saddened to learn of this tragic incident.”
“We are also making counseling and other resources available to our other store team members at this location,” he said.
It was at least the second homicide at a Chicago Walgreens location in a little more than a year. On June 12, 2019, Chicago police began investigating the fatal shooting of another woman, 46-year-old customer Sircie Varnardo.
A store manager allegedly contacted a former security guard he knew who lived in the area, and that man is accused of showing up, confronting 100-pound Varnado who was suspected of shoplifting, pinning her down and shooting her in the face as he knelt on top of her during a violent struggle at 11:30 p.m. at the bustling Northwest Side store.
Louis Hicks, 33, was charged in connection with that homicide at the Walgreens location at 4817 W. Fullerton Ave. Hicks once worked for Monterrey Security and had a record of arrests on drug, assault and impersonating a federal employee charges prior to the 2019 shooting. He was denied bail in that case.
Check back for updates.
Chicago Tribune’s Rosemary Sobol and Paige Fry contributed.
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