Chicago mother, daughter fatally struck after leaving St. Louis Drake concert ID'd; driver charged

ByCate Cauguiran and ABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Chicago mother, daughter fatally struck leaving Drake concert ID'd, driver charged
Chicago mother and daughter Laticha Bracero and Alyssa Cordova were fatally struck by a car leaving a Drake concert at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (WLS) -- A mother and daughter from Chicago were struck by a car and killed leaving a Drake concert in St. Louis, Missouri Wednesday.

KMOV reports around 12:30 a.m., St. Louis police said the mother and daughter were walking back from the Enterprise Center where Drake performed.

Police said the driver of a Jeep Cherokee, a 22-year-old man, ran the lights for several blocks while also speeding. When he reached the intersection of Olive and 18th streets, he ran another red light and sideswiped a Mitsubishi Outlander. That caused the Jeep to spin and strike the two pedestrians crossing the street, police said.

The Jeep then T-boned a third vehicle, a Mazda, as it drove west on Olive approaching 18th, police said.

Laticha Bracero, 42, died on the scene, and her daughter, Alyssa Cordova, 21, died at a nearby hospital.

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Family said the mother and daughter often traveled to go to concerts together. They are devastated by the dual loss

"They're inseparable. They are. They're inseparable. And I feel like if one of them would have survived, they would have never been able to survive this without the other," said cousin Nicole Rivera. "Whoever this was, just ruined not only their lives or their potential lives, our lives."

Police have charged the Jeep's driver, 22-year-old Monte Henderson, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of armed criminal action. He is hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

Rivera, who is Bracero's cousin, said she lived her life for her daughter.

"She was such a dedicated mom. She put her daughter before anything," she said.

The family is devastated about the future Cordova will never have.

"She won't be able to have kids. She won't be able to get married. She won't be able to do the things that you're supposed to be able to do," Rivera said. "We just love them so much and will never be the same. We just won't."

Two teen girls from the second vehicle and a 61-year-old woman from the third vehicle were hospitalized but stable after the incident.

Information about Henderson's first court date was not immediately available.

CNN contributed to this report.