Family of Oak Lawn man killed after being hit by car call for stiffer charges against driver
OAK LAWN, Ill. (CBS) – A community was rallying Tuesday behind a grieving mother to call for justice after her son was hit and killed by a driver.
Murod Kurdi, 28, was standing outside of his Oak Lawn home when that driver crashed into him on June 5. Now, Kurdi's mother and a group of activists are calling for more accountability for the driver.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar had the latest.
The victim's family and their attorney said the village won't even turn over a police report citing the ongoing investigation. They said the driver was ticketed but not criminally charged.
A large crowd was gathered on Tuesday afternoon in front of the Oak Lawn Police Department to rally in honor of Kurdi, who was hit and killed by the driver earlier this month.
Kurdi was struck in front of his home near 91st Street and Tulley Avenue. He died days later.
His family and attorney said they want stiffer charges after they met with a member of the Oak Lawn Police Department and were allegedly told:
"Murod Kurdi was killed by a 27-year-old female who admitted to consuming alcohol, provided the name and address of the establishment she was drinking at. She admitted to speeding, admitted to being on her cell phone, yet was free to leave the scene," Fadia Muhamad said, Kurdi's mother.
The Oak Lawn village manager would not answer CBS 2's specific questions about the family's claims, but said in a statement, "The matter remains under investigation and we are pursuing several avenues in that regard. The village sympathizes with the loss of life and expresses its condolences to Mr. Kurdi's family."
David Petrich, the family's attorney, added the woman also admitted to having a 4-year-old child with her and smelled of alcohol.
"No words can express a mother's feeling toward losing a child, a son, a brother. It's just devastating. We're asking for justice for my son," Muhamad said.
Again, the police department would not respond to CBS 2's repeated requests for a comment on the case and we were unable to confirm the family and attorneys' claims about the driver.