Family members shared their reactions and additional information after a woman and her 12-year-old nephew died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver Wednesday evening on the Southwest Side.
"He was always so sweet, like you would never catch him saying a bad word or doing anything bad," said Sonia Bucio, cousin of Giovanne Bucio, who was killed in the accident.
She added that he loved to play soccer and was "so respectful."
Giovanne Bucio and 48-year-old Araceli Gutierrez were struck in the 3100 block of West 55th Street in Gage Park, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
Sonia said Giovanne was escorting Guiterrez on a walk to the store to pick up condensed milk when a car "hit them and left."
A westbound driver hit them about 8:10 p.m. in a crosswalk and kept on driving, Chicago police said.
The woman was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center and the boy was brought to Comer Children’s Hospital, police said. They were both pronounced dead.
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"Anyone out here that may have been driving that may have witnessed this, that may have took an image of this car or the individual or the license plates on a cell phone to give them over to Major Accidents," said community activist Andrew Holmes.
The car was possibly a dark-colored 2009-2012 Chevy Malibu with front-end damage near the driver’s side headlight, police said.
"You know you drive that Malibu, it might just be a matter of time that you get that knock at your door," Holmes said.
Gutierrez lived in Avondale, while Giovanne was a Gage Park resident, the medical examiner’s office said.
"I don't know how you're going to live with that, that feeling that you killed two people and you drove off," Sonia said.
Police asked anyone with information to call its Major Accidents Unit at 312-745-4521.
