"Jasmine is sorry:" Mother of woman charged in crash that killed two men says she was being chased
MILWAUKEE -- The family of 23-year-old Jasmine Ray, charged in connection with a crash that killed two men near Sherman and Roosevelt is making an emotional apology. The crash happened on December 30th, and a 59-year-old man and 57-year-old man were killed.
Jasmine Ray
Ray, one of two women taken into custody after the crash, is facing three charges -- two counts of second degree reckless homicide, and one count of hit-and-run resulting in death.
59-year-old Darrell Thompson and 57-year-old Terry Jackson were killed in the crash.
The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m.
Two vehicles were involved in the crash -- a 2003 Kia Sorento and a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. Police initially said just after this crash that the vehicle the two women were in was stolen. That's still under investigation.
Fatal crash near Sherman & Roosevelt
As Ray faces serious charges, her mother is speaking out. She says her daughter is not a monster, and she's calling what happened an accident.
She says the family cannot apologize enough.
"Lord Jesus have mercy on that family. Let them know I am sorry. Jasmine is sorry," Mary Lee said.
Lee says she is praying for the families of Terry Jackson and Darrell Thompson.
Darrell Thompson and Terry Jackson
"I wish I could take the hands of time and turn it back, but I can't," Lee said.
A citizen witness told police he was stopped at a red light at Sherman Boulevard on the morning of December 30th. As he prepared to turn southbound onto Sherman with a green light, he observed a vehicle headed north on Sherman going "100 miles per hour." This witness indicated a vehicle to his right entered the intersection and was struck by the vehicle headed north. The witness ran up to the vehicle that had been headed north, and he told police he observed two women exit the vehicle -- one running to a detached garage near Roosevelt Drive, where she laid down in the snow between a parked vehicle and the garage. This woman was later identified as Jasmine Ray.
Fatal crash near Sherman & Roosevelt
Police interviewed Jasmine Ray, and according to the complaint, she indicated someone else was driving the Kia, but upon learning two people had died in the crash, she admitted to being the driver of the Kia. Ray indicated she was going 75 to 80 miles-per-hour at the time of the crash. She said she wasn't fleeing from police, and said she hadn't seen any police vehicles before the crash.
Mary Lee
Lee visited her daughter in the hospital. The criminal complaint indicates Ray suffered an injury to her chest and a shattered right ankle.
"She was able to talk but she was crying, saying that she was sorry," Lee said.
Ray told police she was being chased. That's not in the criminal complaint, but police are investigating that claim.
Police say Ray told them she had argued with someone prior to the crash, and that person waved a gun.
The argument was over who actually owned the vehicle -- Ray or another woman.
In initial reports about this incident, police said the vehicle Ray was driving had been stolen.
"I just pray that the judge and everyone have mercy on her," Lee said.
Fatal crash near Sherman & Roosevelt
One of Terry Jackson's daughters told FOX6 News she wants justice for her father.
She said she appreciates the apology from Ray's family, but right now, the pain is too fresh to accept that apology.
She calls Jackson a loving father, taken too soon.
"I know it's consequences. I'm not saying she's innocent. I'm not saying she's perfect," Lee said.
According to the complaint, Ray said she initially lied about what happened because she was too young to go to jail for murder.
Ray told police she has never obtained a driver's license.
The complaint makes reference to a 2011 case charging Ray with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. She was released on bail, but failed to appear in court in August 2012, and that case is currently in bench warrant status.
Crash kills two men near Sherman & Roosevelt