'I'm Proud of My Brother': Hundreds Mourn Chicago Ridge Cop Killed in Crash

Family, friends and police officers from around the Chicago area were among the hundreds of mourners who attended the Saturday funeral of a 27-year-old Chicago Ridge police officer who was killed in an off-duty car crash last Sunday near Oak Brook, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

Steven Smith was the passenger in a Dodge Neon on Sept. 13 that was hit by a woman driving a 1998 Toyota Camry going the wrong way on I-294 near Cermak Road. Smith, who was not on duty at the time, was pronounced dead at the scene.

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The service Saturday began with a procession through Chicago Ridge from Curley Funeral Home past the house where Smith lived with his mother and then to Our Lady of the Ridge Catholic Church, the report stated. During the funeral Mass, Chris Smith, Steven’s brother, eulogized his sibling, the report added:

“If you’re sad, stop. There’s no reason to be sad. … I’m proud he’s my brother. I’m proud all of you met him.”

Smith was a Marine who served in Afghanistan and joined the Chicago Ridge police force in 2010. He became a full-time officer in February of 2015.

The driver of the car Smith was in survived the accident, the report stated. Charges are pending against the woman driving the other vehicle, who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after the crash, the report added.

via the Chicago Tribune