Des Plaines man struck, killed by Wheeling police vehicle
A Des Plaines man is dead after being struck by an on-duty Wheeling police officer in his squad vehicle early Sunday morning.
Fredi Morales, 20, was walking by himself just after 5:30 a.m. when he was struck by the unidentified officer near McHenry Road, west of Cedar Run Drive. Morales was pronounced dead on the scene because of his injuries.
Wheeling Fire Chief Keith MacIsaac said investigators, including the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team, are still piecing together the circumstances of the crash.
Morales' aunt, Olivia Lopez, told the Daily Herald that Morales had been with his brother Oscar Morales and some of their friends on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
Lopez said Morales had gotten lost trying to find where his brother had parked the car. Fredi called Oscar to ask for directions on how to find him.
It was the last time the two brothers would speak.
Lopez said Oscar Morales called his brother after a while, but after Morales didn't answer his phone, Oscar Morales drove back to their house early Sunday morning, figuring that Morales had taken a taxi back.
Lopez said her family didn't know that Morales was dead until officers from the Wheeling Police department drove to their house at around 3 p.m.
Lopez said the officers told her family Morales was struck by a police car that was chasing a speeding car and had its sirens and lights on.
That description of the crash contradicts what one witness, Lori Wood, said she saw and heard.
Wood, who lives on the 700 block of McHenry Road, said she was letting her dogs into the backyard at around 5:30 a.m. when she saw a police SUV rush past her house.
“It was very fast and it went by and a couple seconds later I heard some screeching and I heard it strike,” Wood said. “It was a pretty big thump, it really startled me.”
Wood said the police SUV's emergency lights and siren were off.
After being told what Wood said, MacIsaac said he would not comment on an active investigation.
Lopez said Morales and his brother Oscar were born in America, but grew up together with their mother in Oaxaca, Mexico. She said the brothers moved to live with her and their family in Des Plaines in 2013 to get jobs and help out his family in Mexico.
Lopez said Morales worked two jobs, one at a bakery and one in a restaurant.
“He was a very hard worker,” Lopez said. “He was very responsible sending money home to his mother.”
The Cook County medical examiner's office will perform an autopsy on Morales' body at 8 a.m. Monday.
MacIsaac said the Wheeling police officer, who has not been identified, was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and later discharged.
McHenry Road was closed between Lexington Drive and Weiland Road for hours Sunday as part of the investigation.
Anyone who witnessed the crash should contact Wheeling police at (847) 459-2632.