CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A 28-year-old man has been charged with killing a pedestrian and injuring another as he raced his car Sunday afternoon in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side.
Nicholas Greer, of the Englewood neighborhood, faces felony counts of reckless homicide and aggravated reckless driving in the crash, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Chicago Police.
His bail was set at $100,000 at a hearing Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
Greer was racing two other vehicles about 4:30 p.m. as he sped north on Indiana Avenue toward Pershing Road, Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer McCarty said.
The traffic signal on Indiana was red as Greer approached the intersection and a person was attempting to cross the street, McCarty said.
As Greer attempted to brake, his car spun sideways and struck 52-year-old Marie Frizer and a 61-year-old man as they were waiting to cross on Pershing Avenue, according to authorities.
Frizer, who was seated in a wheelchair when she was struck, was taken to Stroger Hospital, and pronounced dead within the hour, McCarty and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said. She lived nearby in the Oakland neighborhood.
A black box recovered from the car showed it was traveling 91 mph just seconds before the crash, McCarty said.
The 61-year-old man who was hit was also taken to Stroger, where he was treated for a broken arm and leg, as well as multiple bruises and abrasions, according to authorities.
Greer, who was driving on a suspended license, got out of the driver’s seat, McCarty said. Greer smelled of burnt marijuana and admitted to smoking 4-5 blunts — a hollowed out cigar filled with marijuana — during the day before the crash.
The results of toxicology tests were still pending Tuesday.
Greer was scheduled to return to court Monday.