Sylvia Cordova’s life was cut short doing what one friend said she loved: cooking.
“If you was hungry, she would feed you. Her laugh was just wonderful. She was just a wonderful person,” said Elizabeth Gonzalez, who used to live in the same building as Cordova.
Hartford Police said Cordova was killed while she was inside her Sisson Avenue apartment Wednesday just after 5 p.m. Officers found rifle rounds in the road and damage to the apartment, which led them to Cordova.
“I haven’t been here for two weeks and a half and when I came I seen all these yellow tapes all around and I come to find out that my friend Pebbles was the one that got shot,” said Gonzalez.
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Devastated family and friends told NBC Connecticut Thursday that the proud Puerto Rican woman, known as Pebbles, would give you the shirt off her back and was just the best mom.
Cordova’s twin brother said that his “hermanita” celebrated her 56th birthday last month.
Nidia Garba, a close friend, said Cordova was a happy, giving person who loved her family.
"She was home cooking, you know? For her son. Her son was coming home from work," Garba said.
Garba said Cordova leaves behind children and grandchildren, and was taking care of her mother, who has Alzheimer's.
"She was close to her granddaughter because the granddaughter was always there, and thank God in a way she wasn't there because who knows. It could have been two," she said.
“I’ve been in this industry for a long time and there’s few scenes that I’ve seen more heartbreaking than this one,” Hartford police chief Jason Thody said.
Hartford Police said they are doing everything they can to find the shooter and give the family some justice.
"We believe there was somebody else that was targeted in that area regarding a dispute that had nothing to do with that area. The dispute had to deal with something that evolved earlier in the day and she was truly an unintended victim in this,” said Thody.
“Can you believe that? Somebody is cooking in their kitchen and gets shot like that? That’s so hard,” said Hartford resident Millie Balgobin.
She, like others who spoke to NBC Connecticut, said the violence in Hartford needs to stop.
Meanwhile Gonzalez said her heart goes out to Cordova’s children.
Cordova’s daughter said that if you want to fight, fight with your fists, so an innocent person like her incredible mother isn’t impacted.
“Justice. I want justice for this. I mean this is not, she was in her home, where you’re supposed to feel safe and this is what happened to her,” said Gonzalez.
