Thousands in Donations Pour in for Children of Buffalo Grove Mom Fatally Shot on Highway

In less than 24 hours, more than $25,000 has been raised on a crowdfunding website set up for the children of a Buffalo Grove mom who was shot while riding in the passenger seat of her family’s car as they headed back from a vacation in Wisconsin.

In total, nearly 500 donations have been made as of Wednesday morning by acquaintances and friends of Tracy Czaczkowski, the mother of two young children, but also by strangers and, in some cases, by those who were nearby when a homicide suspect opened fire on a busy 1-90/94 near Lake Delton on Sunday. The GoFundMe page was set up by colleague of Tracy’s husband, Greg, who works for the DEA.

RELATED: Buffalo Grove Mom Has Died After Shooting on Wisconsin Highway

All donations will help “offset future costs of their children" following the "random, senseless, violent shooting" of the 44-year-old mother, just days before Mother's Day, as the family headed home from the Wisconsin Dells.

Shreya Patel, who donated $250 to the family, left the following message on theGoFundMe page:

My family of four and I were driving home from the Dells at the exact same time. This could have easily been any one of us. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.

Another woman, Jennifer Fischer, said her family was on the same highway and also very well could have been caught up in the gunfire.

“My family and I were heading back to Illinois from visiting family in Wisconsin. By whatever miracle we ended up stopping for 5 minutes because of a missing phone charger and when we got back on highway we were between both scenes,” Fischer wrote on the GoFundMe page. “My heart breaks for the family knowing it could have been us. I don't have much to donate but please know they are in my thoughts and prayers.”

Czaczkowski died as a result of a gunshot injury at UW Hospital in Madison on Monday evening, according to Sauk County, Wis., officials. She was determined to be brain-dead early Monday evening and that her condition was irreversible, according to the Associated Press.

The shooting occurred on I-90/I-94 near Lake Delton on Sunday when Greg, who was driving, tried to pass the shooter's Chevy Blaze. The man in the Blazer fired three shots at the family's vehicle, according to police, and fired shots at other vehicles, too.

One shot hit the passenger side door of their BMW sedan. Another hit the hood. And a devastating shot hit the woman in the neck as her family watched. Her husband tried to render medical aid to her as they waited for paramedics, police said Monday.

"All of our thoughts and prayers are with this family who are traveling back to their home state after enjoying our beautiful surroundings here in Wisconsin," Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney said at a Monday press conference.

Czaczkowski’s husband and young children, who were also in the car, were not injured. The children are students at St. Mary School in Buffalo Grove, according to the Buffalo Grove Countryside.

"All we can say right now is that the entire St. Mary's Parish and community is praying for Tracy Czaczkowski and her family, and the family has asked for privacy," a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Chicago told the Buffalo Grove Countryside.

The DEA, where Czackowski's husband, Greg, has worked for the past 11 years, also released a statement Tuesday.

"Tracy was a loving wife of 15 years, a mother of two tender age children, daughter and good friend to all," according to the DEA statement. "The family would like thank everyone for their prayers and out pouring of support for Tracy."

Dennis Wirchen, a special agent in charge of the DEA Chicago division, told the Daily Herald the shooting was “as random as it could be” and said it is not believed to be connected in anyway to Greg’s job with the DEA.

An autopsy is scheduled for later this week, Sauk County Coroner Greg Hahn said in an e-mail. Hahn told the Daily Herald Czackowski planned to donate her organs.

The suspected shooter has been identified as Zachery Hays, 20, of West Allis. He remained hospitalized after police shot him after he fired into Czackowski’s vehicle, according to WISN. Hays' two brothers were also in the car with him. Jeremy A. Hays, 30, is being held on a tentative charge of felon in possession of a firearm, and the other brother is not being named since he suffers from a cognitive disability, the Daily Herald reports.

Zachary Hays is a suspect in a homicide that took place earlier in the day on Sunday in West Allis, which is about 90 miles away from Lake Delton. Police believe the highway shooter killed Gabriel Sanchez, 42, and then went to a church in West Allis where he made several threats.

Police have not determined a motive in either killing, WISN reports.

Get Patched In

• Get News Alerts, Join Facebook Pages and Learn About Patch