ST. LOUIS 鈥 Family and friends of Laticha Bracero and her daughter Alyssa Cordova, who were killed when a driver ran a red light downtown, described the two as fun-loving, energetic and inseparable.
Bracero, 42, known as 鈥淟ety,鈥 and Cordova, 21, lived near Garfield Park on Chicago鈥檚 west side, and were in 狐狸视频 this week for a Drake concert at the Enterprise Center.
Bracero was a supervisor at Wintrust bank in Chicago, according to a post on a GoFundMe account set up by the family. Cordova was attending college while working part-time at Starbucks.
The post described Bracero and Cordova as inseparable. They frequently traveled to concerts together out of town, it said.
鈥(They) come from a close, strong family,鈥 the post said.
Police identified the two on Thursday as the victims of the crash, which occurred early Wednesday morning after the concert.
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Late Thursday, authorities charged Monte Henderson, 22, of the 400 block of Meacham Street in Kirkwood, with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and two counts of armed criminal action. Henderson has no prior felony convictions, authorities said.
The incident took place early Wednesday at 18th and Olive streets, in the Downtown West neighborhood, a few blocks north of the Enterprise Center, and was recorded on surveillance footage, court documents say.
The video shows a Jeep Grand Cherokee entering the intersection, running a red light, and striking two pedestrians. Data retrieved from the car showed it was traveling more than 70 miles per hour before running the light.
Bracero was killed at the scene. Cordova was taken to a hospital where she died, police said. The driver was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition.
The crash marked the latest prominent episode of reckless, deadly driving on city streets. And it came a year after a volleyball player visiting downtown for a tournament was caught in a crash, crushing both legs and fanning the political firestorm that led to the resignation of 狐狸视频 Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner.
Long-term trends show an increase in traffic deaths and a simultaneous drop in traffic enforcement in the city. In 2021, 狐狸视频 police made about half as many traffic stops as they did in 2009 鈥 back when there were also just half as many traffic deaths on the city鈥檚 streets.
The annual count of fatal crashes on city streets last year dropped back toward the pre-pandemic average.
Still, city officials pledged this week to continue to make improvements to redesign streets and slow traffic to prevent tragedies.
Bracero鈥檚 and Cordova鈥檚 family members declined to comment publicly on Thursday.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really grieving and would just rather keep it private,鈥 said Janet Bracero, Lety Bracero鈥檚 aunt by marriage.
But cousins and friends spoke about the two.
Jordan Carrion, who grew up with Cordova, said she and her mother were 鈥渁mazing, sweet people.鈥 He said Bracero was like a second mom who helped raise him and his siblings.
鈥淟ety was always there helping others, always giving the best advice,鈥 Carrion said. 鈥淓ven if it was advice you didn鈥檛 want to hear.鈥
Bracero had a lust for life 鈥渆ven when life was hard to live,鈥 he said. Cordova was an adventurous, bright girl who 鈥渓oved fearlessly.鈥
鈥淭hey were great people, the life of the party, always keeping people up and helping when they could,鈥 Carrion said. 鈥淚 want them to be remembered by that 鈥 not the careless actions of someone else.鈥
Cousin Anais Nieves called Cordova one of her closest cousins.
鈥淓veryone loved her,鈥 Nieves said. 鈥淪he brought your spirits up just being around her.鈥
鈥淚 remember her and her mom living with me and my mom at one point when we were younger,鈥 said Nieves. 鈥淚t鈥檚 still to this day one of my favorite memories. We used to be inseparable.鈥
Cordova and Bracero were 鈥渟uper close,鈥 said a family friend, who identified herself only as Ana.
鈥淭hem going together honestly makes sense because I truly don鈥檛 believe one would鈥檝e survived if the other passed,鈥 she said.
No one came to the door late Thursday at Henderson鈥檚 house on Meacham.
Annika Merrilees and Jesse Bogan of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
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