Marta Torres, a 61-year-old Hispanic woman and teacher’s assistant at Washington School in Evanston/Skokie School District 65, was shot on January 9, 2021, at an IHOP in Evanston and died a week later from her injuries. Known to family as Chacha and remembered for her positive energy and love of teaching, she was described as kind and generous and was mourned by her family and community.

The shooting was part of a wider, random spree carried out by 32-year-old Jason Nightengale that began on Chicago’s South Side and moved through multiple locations before ending in Evanston. Investigators said Nightengale had posted videos online expressing violent intentions and erratic beliefs; he was shot and killed by police after a confrontation at the IHOP. Three other people named in connection with the spree were killed: Aisha Nevvell, 46, Anthony Faulkner, 20, and Yiran Fan, 30, and several others were wounded.

Who among Marta’s students, colleagues, or neighbors has memories or information to share about her life and the day she was shot?