Drivers fatally struck Stevenson Mays, 59, in West Englewood; Eric S. Wills, 49, in Gresham

Sadly, drivers struck and killed two middle-aged men last week on the South Side: Stevenson Mays, 59, in the West Englewood community, and Eric S. Wills, 49, in the Gresham neighborhood.

Stevenson Mays

According to police, on Monday, February 6, around 6:05 p.m. Mays was crossing the street in the 5600 block of South Racine Avenue. The driver of a dark-colored 2007-10 Lincoln MKX SUV struck him and fled north on Racine.

Mays, who lived nearby on the 5600 block of South May Street, died from his injuries, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Police said the SUV may have damage to its lower passenger-side headlight. Those with info on the case are asked to call detectives at 312-745-4521, or submit an anonymous tip to CPDtip.com.

Erik S. Wills

On Tuesday, February 7, at about 2:50 a.m. Officers responding to a "person down" call found Wills lying in the 8800 block of South May Street, police said. "After the [driver of the] striking vehicle came to a stop, the victim had sustained blunt force trauma to the body," the police department said in a statement.

Wills, who lived about six miles northeast of the crash site in South Shore, was taken to Christ Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner's office.

Fatality Tracker: 2023 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets (including one scooter-on-sidewalk case)

Pedestrian: 8
Bicyclist: 0

Note: Streetsblog Chicago’s traffic death numbers represent fatal crashes on Chicago surface streets, based on media reports and/or preliminary Chicago Police Department data.

2023 Chicago pedestrian fatality cases

• On February 7, 2023, a driver fatally struck Erik S. Wills, 49, on the 8800 block of South May Street in Gresham.
• On February 6, 2023, a motorist struck and killed Stevenson Mays, 59, on the 5600 block of South Racine Avenue in West Englewood and fled the scene.
• On January 27, 2023, two drivers collided on the 5000 block of West Washington Street in Austin and fatally struck Jennifer Kelleher, 25, and then both fled the scene.
• On January 26, 2023, an SUV driver fatally struck an unidentified woman, 93, on the 300 block of South Laramie Avenue in Austin and fled the scene.
• On January 10, 2023, a sedan driver struck and killed an unidentified man, 33, on the 3500 block of West Lake Street in East Garfield Park and fled the scene.
• On January 3, 2023, a cargo van driver fatally struck Jaime Cuadra, 47, as he was exiting a vehicle on 87th Street in front of the Red Line station.
• On January 2, 2023, a 45-year-old man was crossing Lafayette Avenue at 79th Street in Chatham when a speeding driver ran a red, fatally struck him, and fled the scene on foot.
• On January 2, 2023, near 72nd Street and Damen Avenue in West Englewood, Roy Lee, 21, was getting into his car when a driver swerved into oncoming lanes, fatally struck Lee and hit three parked cars, then fled the scene on foot.

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