In the early morning hours of Friday, September 4, 2026, a sense of routine was shattered by sudden violence on a sidewalk in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. Candice Latara Michelle Johnson, a 37-year-old woman originally from Michigan, was walking in the 6700 block of South Peoria Street at approximately 7:29 a.m. when she was approached by an armed individual. In a brutal and abrupt attack, gunshots rang out, striking Johnson in the chest and back.
She collapsed in the street as the shooter fled the scene. Paramedics arrived quickly and rushed her to the University of Chicago Medical Center in a desperate attempt to save her life, but her injuries were too severe. Candice Johnson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting sent Chicago police officers flooding into the area. Investigators began the meticulous process of piecing together the events that led to the homicide. They recovered Johnson's purse and identification, which first indicated her ties to Michigan. Witnesses provided a crucial description of the suspected shooter, which was broadcast over police radio: a Black woman, estimated to be between 20 and 25 years old, distinctively dressed in all pink clothing, including a pink bonnet. This individual was reportedly seen walking westbound on 68th Street from Peoria, carrying a gun. While detectives searched for shell casings and began canvassing the area for surveillance footage, the detailed witness account provided a vital lead in the rapidly developing investigation.
The search for the suspect did not last long. Just three hours after the fatal shooting, officers located and arrested 40-year-old Carlita Jenkins in the 900 block of West 68th Street, only about a quarter-mile from where Candice Johnson was killed. Jenkins was subsequently identified as the person who allegedly shot Johnson. She was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder. While authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the shooting, the case moved forward with Jenkins scheduled for a detention hearing. The investigation marks a swift arrest in the tragic and violent death of a woman who was simply walking down the street in the morning. While an arrest and charges have been brought, the legal process is just beginning, and the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
