Off-Duty Chicago Police Officer Charged in Deadly Crash

An off-duty Chicago police officer has been charged with multiple felonies after a woman died when he allegedly crashed his car into a building in Gresham.

Terrance Finley, 24, was charged Tuesday with reckless homicide with a motor vehicle and aggravated driving under the influence leading to an accidental death, as well as misdemeanor DUI and a traffic citation, Chicago police said. 

He appeared in court with a Fraternal Order of Police attorney as a judge set his bond at $40,000, calling the case among "some of the toughest cases in criminal law."

Prosecutors said Finely, a CPD officer since 2017, had been at a birthday party with friends when he got into his car alone. 

About 2:42 a.m., Finley was eastbound in his Toyota sedan in the 1700 block of West 87th Street and tried to turn left onto Wood Street, police said. Another vehicle tried to turn left onto Wood at the same time and cut the Toyota off.

Finley, trying to avoid the other vehicle, made a sharp turn, jumped the curb, plowed through a building and hit two women, police said.

According to prosecutors, airbag sensors determined Finley's vehicle had accelerated from 73 to 75 mph around the time of the crash. 

Marquita N. Reed, 35, was pinned under the car and later pronounced dead at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy Monday found she died of multiple injuries caused by a vehicle striking a pedestrian and her death was ruled an accident.

The second woman, also 35, suffered a leg injury, police said. She was taken to the same hospital in good condition.

Finley injured his neck and was also taken to Christ Medical Center where his condition was stabilized, police said. The driver of the other vehicle did not stop, and its whereabouts are unknown.

Prosecutors said Finley took two separate blood alcohol tests. His first showed a .083 and his second was a .080, just over the legal limit. 

The CPD Major Accidents unit is investigating.

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