Woman fatally shot by ex-boyfriend in front of her 2 kids in Chicago's South Shore, police say

CHICAGO (KABC) -- A mother of two was gunned down by her ex-boyfriend in front of her children Tuesday night in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood, police said.

Mechelle Lewis, 28, was sitting in a van parked in front of her home in the 7200 block of South Bennett Avenue around 9:50 p.m.

Police said the suspect, identified only as a 34-year-old male, walked up to the van and opened fire, hitting Lewis several times. The man then took off with Lewis' children -- an 8-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son.

The driver-side window of the van was shot out. Taleatha Welch said she heard several shots.

"It was about six shots. They were back to back," Welch said.

Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene about 20 minutes later, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said.

The man eventually turned himself in, with the children unharmed. Officers recovered a gun from the vehicle he was driving.

The suspect was transferred to Area Central lockup, where he was being questioned. Charges were pending Wednesday.

"It's horrible. I mean, it's horrible. There's no excuse. No real reason," said Ereka Worthy, a neighbor.

Friends said Lewis was trying to start a new life.

She was a manager at a McDonald's near East 47th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood for about four years. Her co-workers were heartbroken. They plan to hold a vigil for Lewis at the McDonald's Wednesday night.

"Anger. Hurt. Confused loss. She was like family to me. I'm just very disturbed that it had to come down to this," said Chavonna Hartley, Lewis' friend.

Lewis' friends told WLS-TV, the ABC station in Chicago, off camera that the suspect was the children's father, however police have not confirmed his relationship to the kids.