Woman charged with DUI, reckless homicide in crash that killed two recent grads
A woman faces charges of reckless homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with an early morning crash on the Eisenhower Expressway Sunday that killed teens from Rolling Meadows and Hoffman Estates.
Ashanti Gates, 21, appeared in court Tuesday on nine felony counts, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Authorities say she was driving with her headlights off at about 3 a.m. when she struck and killed the teens as they attempted to change a tire along the outbound lanes of I-290 near Paulina Street.
Meanwhile, an online fundraiser has been established for the family of 18-year-old Erik C. Cox, who last month graduated from Rolling Meadows High School. He was killed along with Shealyn M. Sherwood, an 18-year-old Hoffman Estates resident who recently graduated from Schaumburg High School.
Prosecutors said a person with Cox and Sherwood had been standing near their vehicle and trying to alert drivers so his friends could be seen, the Sun-Times reported. He had waved at Gates before she crashed into their car, authorities said.
Gates also is charged with child endangerment, as her 4-year-old child was in the back seat at the time, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said she had been traveling more than 20 mph over the limit, was driving on the shoulder and had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit, the Sun-Times reported.
A judge ordered Gates released on home confinement but said she could continue to work and take her child to preschool, according to the Sun-Times. The judge also prohibited Gates from either drinking or driving throughout the prosecution of the case.
Cox’s legal guardian declined to speak Tuesday on the family’s loss. Sherwood’s family could not be reached.
The GoFundMe campaign for Cox’s family was created by friend Shannon Puleo.
“Erik was full of life and had everything going for him,” Puleo wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He had graduated from Rolling Meadows High School 2 weeks ago and was preparing to attend Columbia College in the fall to study graphic design. Erik was intelligent with a great sense of humor and very personable. His friend group was larger than anyone I know. Everyone loved Erik.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign for Cox’s family had exceeded $2,000 of its $10,000 goal.
“Any donation, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference while the family copes with this tragedy,” Puleo wrote. “Please continue to keep Erik's family in your thoughts and prayers. We send a big thank you in advance.”
GoFundMe officials Tuesday said they were working with Puleo to make Cox’s immediate family the direct beneficiary of the fundraiser.
· The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this report.