A 21-year-old woman is facing multiple charges in connection a crash on the Eisenhower Expressway that left two teens dead, officials said.
According to Illinois State Police, Chicago woman Ashanti Gates is charged with two counts of aggravated DUI as well as two counts of reckless homicide and one count of child endangerment.
The crash occurred in the outbound lanes near Damen Avenue in Chicago. At approximately 3:04 a.m., troopers were dispatched for a multiple-vehicle crash at the location, authorities said.
Police said a white Toyota sedan was pulled on to the right shoulder with its hazard lights on due to a flat tire. The three occupants of the sedan had exited their vehicle to change the flat tire.
At this time, a black Hyundai Sonata driven by Gates struck the parked car and two of the car's occupants who were changing the tire.
The two victims, 18-year-old Erik C. Cox of Rolling Meadows and 18-year-old Shaelyn M. Sherwood of Hoffman Estates, were pronounced dead at the scene. The third occupant of the sedan was not struck.
"I feel like my guts spilled out of me. Doubled over," Sherwood's father, Devan Sherwood, told NBC Chicago. "I ran to her room. Looked all around. Her shoes were there, her slippers were there. She was not there."
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A memorial for Sherwood was organized by one of her friends in Rolling Meadows, with candles and flowers decorating the base of a tree where her loved ones gathered in her memory.
"She really did light up every single room she walked into," Sherwood's father said.
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A 4-year-old boy was among five occupants inside the Hyundai driven by Gates, with Gates, the child and one other occupant being taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Gates is currently being held in Chicago police custody.
