Family speaks of pain after woman was hit by Cook County Sheriff’s squad car, later died

By Marissa Sulek

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A family spoke Friday after a Chicago mother was hit and killed by a Cook County Sheriff’s police squad car while walking in Glenview.

The family this week made the difficult decision to take Mercedes Smith, 28, off life support.

Smith’s family said they were blindsided. They said they were originally just told their sister had been in an accident — and it was not until they got to the hospital that they learned she was fighting for her life.

“Full of joy, always happy,” Mahogany Smith said of her late sister.

Mercedes Smith’s family said the light of her world was her 10-year-old daughter, Monashay. The family spoke with CBS News Chicago earlier this week, as they leaned on each other the day before they took their sister off life support.

“You could be sad, and she would come around you, and you would be up and feel good about yourself,” said Mahogany Smith. “Like, she had that type of spirit.”

The crash happened on Tuesday morning. Police said shortly after 5 a.m., Mercedes Smith was walking on Milwaukee Avenue northwest of Golf and Greenwood roads when she was hit by the squad car.

“Once we arrived at the hospital, yes, that’s when we was told that a sheriff’s deputy hit her,” said Mahogany Smith.

Mercedes Smith’s family said she was sent to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where she was placed in a medically-induced coma. She was later sent to Rush University Medical Center, the family said.

“They basically told us my sister was brain dead,” said Mahogany Smith.

As they tried to figure out how to tell Monashay her mom was gone, there was a silver lining in that Mercedes will be an organ donor.

“They said she could save a lot of lives,” said Mahogany Smith.

“It’s still like some part of us, so I asked that we keep in contact with the person that we donate or organs to,” said sister Marquita Smith.

While they prepared to say goodbye, the Smiths said there were still a lot of questions to which they want answers.

“The simple fact of the matter is you killed her, and we need justice,” said Mahogany Smith. “That’s the fact.”

The family said they plan to work with a lawyer.

CBS News Chicago reached out to the Cook County Sheriff’s office, which referred all questions to Glenview police — who are investigating the crash.

Glenview police said the Cook County Sheriff’s office is cooperating with their investigation.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.