Balloon release, tribute held for 14-year-old girl killed at CTA bus stop on way to dad's house
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A balloon release and tribute was held Saturday to celebrate the life of a 14-year-old girl killed at a South Side bus stop last week.
Angela Short and her mother, Kennetta Bradford, were waiting for a bus when a car crashed into them at 79th and Racine, according to police.
"She was just fun. She was pretty reserved but when music come on, she loved to dance," said Short's aunt, Kenya Parker. "All the kids loved her, she was just the sweetest child you could ever meet."
The group of family and loved ones wore pink, Short's favorite color, in her memory.
"Oh, the sweetest little girl you would ever want to know. Really laid-back, reserved, quiet, loved her family," said Linette Cheers, another of Short's aunts.
Police said a car ran a red light and slammed into another vehicle, which then hit both the teen and her mother.
The soft-spoken 14-year-old died waiting at the stop to go to her dad's house.
"They were going to her dad's house to pick up her money for [Angela's] school clothes and supplies," Cheers previously said.
Short was her father's only daughter, and her mother's youngest.
"Devastating. We've never had a tragedy like this," Cheers said.
Bradford's sisters said she's since been released from the hospital and is now home recovering. She suffered broken bones and a punctured lung, and has a long road ahead of her as she grapples with the sudden loss of her youngest daughter.
"She's recovering, but she has a long way to go mentally and physically," Cheers added.
Short was just two weeks out from starting her first year of high school at Chicago Vocational School.
"Just the senselessness, the recklessness of the actions of these people need to stop because they don't realize making these decisions, it's tearing families up," Cheers said.
"It takes 3/10 of a second to avoid a crash, and just stop and think about other people, because it's not just about you," Parker added.
The teen's family is now calling on drivers to think before getting behind the wheel.
"Be mindful of the pedestrians and the people that are standing at the bus stop and things like that," Cheers said. "Everybody's not fortunate enough to have a car. But you can see, you don't have to have a car to be in a very tragic accident."
The driver who police say caused the crash, 32-year-old Swayne Owens, has been charged with DUI.
Owens was taken to St. Bernard Hospital, where he was initially in serious condition, but is being held on a $250,000 bond.
The driver of the SUV was taken to the hospital the night of the crash in fair condition.
