Family and Friends Gather to Honor Slain Corrections Officer

Family, friends and co-workers gathered Friday morning for a vigil outside the Cook County Jail to mourn the loss of Nikkii Bostic-Jones, the corrections officer who was run down by a van on her way to work Wednesday night. 

The day before, mourners planted a makeshift garden outside the jail to pay homage to their friend, Bostic-Jones who many describe as being adored by friends, family and even the inmates she watched over. 

"I'm touched," her husband James Jones said Friday morning, noting the supportive crowd that gathered to pray and mourn.  

Bostic-Jones, 38, of Plainfield, was on her way to work when she was struck about 10:50 p.m. in the 2900 block of South California, just outside of Cook County Jail Complex in the Little Village neighborhood.

Police obtained the possible make and model of the full-sized van responsible, along with a partial license plate. Using databases, they located a similar van nearby, owned by a man who lives near the jail.

That man was being questioned Thursday night by police. He has not been charged and police say there is no timetable for that. 

It was a small relief for James Jones. 

"I'm glad," he said. "I thought they were never going to find him."

As the sun began to peek out through the dawn sky, mourners released a swath of helium balloons with memorial cards bearing the image of Bostic-Jones fixed to a ribbon. The message said: In Loving Memory ... Officer Nikki Bostic-Jones  #4151  E.O W. 18 JUL 12. 

"I wanted to go up there with them ... to be with her," James Jones said. 

Contact Us