The coroner has identified a 14-year-old girl who was killed after a vehicle hit her while she was walking her bicycle Sunday evening in Waukegan. The driver, who fled the scene, was arrested.
An autopsy showed that Delilah Shoemaker, 14, of Waukegan, died as a result of blunt force injuries from a crash, according to Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton.
The Waukegan Fire Department and Waukegan Police Department responded around 9:30 p.m. Sunday to the intersection of Crescent Avenue and Garrick Avenue in Waukegan for a crash with injuries.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Joe Florip said officers arrived to find a serious crash involving a vehicle and three pedestrians.
The Waukegan Police Department Major Crash Unit (MCU) was called to the scene due to the seriousness.
MCU investigators believe that a white 2011 Dodge Challenger was traveling eastbound on Crescent Avenue approaching Garrick Avenue.
Shoemaker, along with a 14-year-old boy and an adult male in his 40s, were walking their bikes on the south side of Crescent Avenue.
The Dodge struck Shoemaker and the two others as they walked eastbound, Florip said. The Dodge fled the scene.
The three pedestrians, who are family members, are all Waukegan residents.
Shoemaker was transported to an area hospital where she died from her injuries, Florip said.
The adult male and the 14-year-old boy were transported to an area hospital with moderate injuries. Both were treated and released.
Officers located the Dodge parked in the 2400 block of Dakota Road.
The Dodge was seized as evidence and the driver was arrested.
Florip identified the driver as Jhonatan Lopez-Castaneda, 31, of Waukegan.
He has been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash and driving without a valid driver’s license.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Lopez-Castaneda held on a $1 million bond.
Shoemaker’s cousin, Emily Santana, said that the suspect driver struck Shoemaker and the two others at “full speed” and the driver had “No remorse.” Shoemaker had recently turned 14 on July 24.
Santana said she created a GoFundMe to help the girl’s parents with funeral expenses and medical bills. “This was all so sudden,” she said.
Lopez-Castaneda is scheduled to appear in court again on Monday.