One person was killed and four others were injured when a car hit a tree on the Chicago side of Howard Street between Kedzie and Dodge avenues Thursday night.
Update 4:30 p.m.: The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office has identified the person who died as Kevoyn Cox, 18, whose address is believed to be 825 Dodge Ave. in Evanston.
A medical examiner’s office spokesperson said the cause of death was listed as multiple injuries from the auto accident. Evanston police reports indicates that Cox was arrested last fall for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor and in a separate incident for possession of drug paraphernalia.
WGN-TV and the Chicago Tribune report at least five ambulances were sent to the scene, just west of Grey Avenue, with victims taken to several different hospitals.
The Chicago Sun-Times quotes police as saying the car was speeding when it hit the tree and that another person in the vehicle fled the scene.
Police this morning reportedly still had not been able to question the injured passengers to learn more about the circumstances of the crash.
Officials say the man who died had been driving the car.
What a shame
what a shame …..kid had a great smile and was a decent hoops player at one time….RIP
One of the nicest and most
One of the nicest and most genuine people you could ever find just caught in the wrong place some times. The world and Evanston community will truly miss kevoyn,his huge and awesome personality and his infectious smile. Rip kevoyn you will be missed by many
Show some compassion and respect
I have read about this tragedy on at least five different news sites yet your article is the first to report the victim's criminal history (compliments of the Evanston police). Why was it so important for you to include this part of his past less than 24 hours after he lost his life?
Why it’s important
Hi Shirley,
We publish what we are able to learn from public sources. If a search on his name had turned up information that he was an honor roll student or a star athelete we would have published that, too. (And if you have such information, please do share it.)
As to why the arrest information is important — it's important because a history of such arrests suggests a possible substance abuse problem which in turn may help inform readers about why someone might end up plowing a car into a tree at high speed on a city street.
It may or may not actually explain why the fatal accident happened, but at the moment we seem to have no other explanations available.
— Bill
Kevoyn
Kevoyn was an honor roll student in sixth grade.