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

12:34 PM CST on February 15, 2023

The 5600 block of South Racine, where Stevenson Mays was killed. Image: Google Maps

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.

Images of the SUV provided by police.
Images of the SUV provided by police.

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.

The
The 8800 block of South May, looking south. Image: Google Maps

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.

The driver, a 41-year-old man, remained on scene and was issued citations for failure to exercise due care for a pedestrian in the roadway and operating an uninsured vehicle, police said.

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

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