Latest news with #Homewood-FlossmoorHighSchool
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Service on Saturday for Homewood-Flossmoor student who died in post-prom crash
The life of the Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior killed in a post-prom crash on the Bishop Ford Freeway May 4 will be celebrated during a service on Saturday. Tom'mya Lyons, or TJ, was remembered by friend Ma'Kiyah Hammons Wednesday as a sweet girl who lit up any room she stepped foot in. 'She was telling everybody that they looked pretty — giving out compliments,' Hammons recalled of Lyons during their prom, which had the theme A Night of Enchanted Elegance. The prom was held from 8 p.m. to midnight the night before at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Lyons was killed around 4:30 a.m. after prom ended, the sole passenger in the vehicle that crashed on the Sibley Boulevard ramp northbound to Interstate 94. The crash remained under investigation Thursday with Illinois State Police reporting no new information. The 16-year-old male driver of the car was not injured, police said. Since Lyons' death, Hammons said school has felt 'weird.' She most notices Lyons' absence during passing periods, where the two would usually greet each other one the way to their classes. 'I feel like everybody at the school is just taking it slowly,' Hammons said. 'Everybody has some type of relationship with her. We'll always try to remember her every day.' Hammons said she met Lyons during their junior year, becoming close with her and her friend group quickly. She said when she heard the news of her death, she didn't believe it until she checked the location and called Lyons' best friend, who was at the hospital to see her. 'We were both just crying on the phone together,' Hammons said. Noralyn Rivera was hired by Lyons' family just hours ahead of prom to take photos at a sendoff party scheduled for the 18-year-old. She said she formed a bond with Lyons as she captured special moments of her getting ready for prom and interacting with the about 50 family members who showed up to her sendoff party. 'She was very kind to me — the family was very close,' Rivera said. She said she received a phone call from Lyons' mother on the day that Lyons died and that it was 'surreal' capturing some of Lyons' final hours, including photos inside of the car where the crash happened. 'I felt appreciative that I was at the forefront of her mind, and that she knew that I did genuinely care, that I wasn't just there for the job,' Rivera said. Lyons' celebration of life service is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Calvary Assembly of God, 18620 Governors Highway, Flossmoor, according to a flyer shared on social media. Those looking to send flowers or cards to Lyons' family are asked to mail them to Keith McGee Funeral Home at 300 E. 115th St., Chicago. ostevens@
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Service on Saturday for Homewood-Flossmoor student who died in post-prom crash
The life of the Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior killed in a post-prom crash on the Bishop Ford Freeway May 4 will be celebrated during a service on Saturday. Tom'mya Lyons, or TJ, was remembered by friend Ma'Kiyah Hammons Wednesday as a sweet girl who lit up any room she stepped foot in. 'She was telling everybody that they looked pretty — giving out compliments,' Hammons recalled of Lyons during their prom, which had the theme A Night of Enchanted Elegance. The prom was held from 8 p.m. to midnight the night before at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Lyons was killed around 4:30 a.m. after prom ended, the sole passenger in the vehicle that crashed on the Sibley Boulevard ramp northbound to Interstate 94. The crash remained under investigation Thursday with Illinois State Police reporting no new information. The 16-year-old male driver of the car was not injured, police said. Since Lyons' death, Hammons said school has felt 'weird.' She most notices Lyons' absence during passing periods, where the two would usually greet each other one the way to their classes. 'I feel like everybody at the school is just taking it slowly,' Hammons said. 'Everybody has some type of relationship with her. We'll always try to remember her every day.' Hammons said she met Lyons during their junior year, becoming close with her and her friend group quickly. She said when she heard the news of her death, she didn't believe it until she checked the location and called Lyons' best friend, who was at the hospital to see her. 'We were both just crying on the phone together,' Hammons said. Noralyn Rivera was hired by Lyons' family just hours ahead of prom to take photos at a sendoff party scheduled for the 18-year-old. She said she formed a bond with Lyons as she captured special moments of her getting ready for prom and interacting with the about 50 family members who showed up to her sendoff party. 'She was very kind to me — the family was very close,' Rivera said. She said she received a phone call from Lyons' mother on the day that Lyons died and that it was 'surreal' capturing some of Lyons' final hours, including photos inside of the car where the crash happened. 'I felt appreciative that I was at the forefront of her mind, and that she knew that I did genuinely care, that I wasn't just there for the job,' Rivera said. Lyons' celebration of life service is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Calvary Assembly of God, 18620 Governors Highway, Flossmoor, according to a flyer shared on social media. Those looking to send flowers or cards to Lyons' family are asked to mail them to Keith McGee Funeral Home at 300 E. 115th St., Chicago.
Chicago Tribune
07-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Southland crime: Shootings in South Chicago Heights, Homewood, and more
The following items were taken from police and court reports and news releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt. Beecher CHILD PORNOGRAPHY: Jasen N. Zurisk, 49, 1000 block of Cherry Lane, Beecher, is charged with selling child pornography Feb. 16 and possessing moving depictions of child pornography March 4, according to court records online. Will County deputies arrested Zurisk April 29 at a motel in Merrillville, Indiana. Burbank ABDUCTION ATTEMPT: Investigators say a supposed ride-share vehicle whose registration came back no-record might have been used in an April 18 attempted kidnapping. The passenger, who entered the vehicle near State Road and 82nd Place, told police she ended the ride near State Road and Cicero Avenue when she began to feel increasingly light-headed, dizzy and hot, and saying the driver asked personal questions without making eye contact. SEX ASSAULT: Nazon W. Wallace, 25, 5000 block of 79th Street, Burbank, is scheduled to return to Cook County court at Bridgeview May 19, charged with predatory criminal sexual assault to a pre-teen and failing to register as a sex offender, according to police and a court spokesperson. Wallace was arrested April 23 and remains held in jail without bond, according to Cook County Jail information online. Flossmoor THREATENING MESSAGE: Homewood-Flossmoor High School officials immediately closed a girls restroom, reviewed surveillance video recordings and increased police presence April 29 in response to a staff member finding a racially offensive and threatening message on a stall, principal Clinton Alexander said in letters to parents. Glenwood SUSPECTS APPREHENDED: Two people wanted in connection with an officer involved shooting in Chicago were taken into custody April 28 after leading police officers on a high-speed chase beginning in Riverdale, traveling into Chicago and ending near 187th Street and Glenwood-Chicago Heights Road, police said. Homewood DUI CRASH: Babatunde Folaji, 49, 18300 block of Exchange Avenue, Lansing, was arrested and accused of drunken driving, failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision and illegally transporting alcohol April 4 at Ridge Road and Halsted Street, police said. MOVING GUNFIRE: A motorist escaped serious injury while dodging shots fired from another vehicle at 6:05 p.m. April 29 at 175th Street and Dixie Highway, but crashed into a second vehicle, which hit a third vehicle as the offending vehicle was driven west on 175th Street, police said. Two people were treated for minor injuries and two vehicles were damaged by bullets, police said. Lansing STOLEN CRASH: Police say Tremayne E. Jamison, 53, Chicago, crashed into a tree in South Holland while fleeing Lansing officers investigating whether the car he was driving was stolen from Harvey, police said. Jamison, who failed to appear at an April 30 hearing in Cook County court at Markham, is charged with possessing a stolen vehicle, driving on a suspended license and fleeing in connection with the March 20 attempted stop at the River Place shopping center, according to a court spokesperson. Markham STABBING: A man who argued with another man April 28was brought from the 16300 block of Homan Avenue to Advocate Christ Medical Center for treatment of a stab wound to the abdomen, police said. The suspected offender was taken to the police station for questioning, police said. Midlothian DUI CRASH: A former Crestwood police officer was scheduled to appear in Cook County court at Bridgeview May 7, charged with drunken driving and failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision. Christopher Spencer, 49, who resigned from the department after 18 years, was off-duty March 31 when he crashed into a residential garage in the 15100 block of Kostner Avenue, police said. New Lenox ID THEFT: Nicholas S. Shannon, 34, Chicago, was arrested April 22 and accused of identity theft after opening an account at a bank in the 300 block of Maple Road under the name of a Peoria resident who hadn't authorized the transaction, police said. RECKLESS DRIVING: Kyle K. Chapman, 19, 24400 block of Arrowhead Drive, Manhattan, was arrested April 29 at Sojourn Road and Joliet Highway after driving onto residential yards and driveways at 50 mph and accelerating as his passenger was half out of the vehicle, police said. He is to appear in Will County court May 16 on charges of reckless driving and unlawful possession of cannabis, court records show. Oak Lawn DEALING CHARGED: Mohammed Daoud, 31, 6400 block of 94th Place, Oak Lawn, was arrested April 14 in the 4800 block of 97th Street and subsequently charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a weapon after officers recovered a pill bottle containing 11 opiate-based pills, three amphetamine pills and a tranquilizer pill not prescribed to him, along with a loaded .45 caliber handgun with a loaded magazine and $14,000 cash, police said. Orland Park GUN POSSESSION: Khyleen R. Robinson, 18, Greenwood, Mississippi, was arrested March 29 and subsequently charged with unlawful use of a weapon after officers recovered a 19 mm pistol and loaded magazine at 143rd Street and John Humphrey Drive and determined he was too young to qualify for a gun permit, police said. DUI CRASH: Ryann R. Scanlan, 25, 16200 block of Justin Court, Tinley Park, was arrested March 30 during a two-vehicle crash investigation on La Grange Road at 167th Street and accused of drunken driving, failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision and improper backing, police said. DUI CRASH: Daniel A. Lipowski, 41, 10200 block of 143rd Street, Orland Park, was arrested April 2 during a three-vehicle personal injury crash investigation at 151st Street and 94th Avenue and accused of drunken driving, failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision and failing to produce proof of insurance, police said. Palos Heights AGGRAVATED BATTERY: Vyasiah Lane, 27, of Worth, was arrested May 1 and accused of grabbing an emergency room nurse by the throat March 31 at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, faces charges of aggravated battery to a nurse and aggravated battery/strangulation, according to police and a court spokesperson. GUN POSSESSION: Willie E. Ware, 62, 1400 block of Yarrow Drive, Joliet, is scheduled to appear in Will County court May 16, charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, according to court records online. Ware was arrested May 1 after a a loaded .38 special handgun was found in her trunk during a traffic stop at U.S. Route 6 and Interstate 355. Ware was also charged with possession of a controlled substance after the officer recovered suspected cocaine beneath the firearm, according to police and court records. Palos Hills BUSINESS BURGLARY: Alcohol selling for hundreds of dollars was reported stolen during a May 5 burglary at Maple Lake Wine and Spirits, 8801 95th St., police said. Security video shows at least two people entering through a smashed glass door and leaving in a vehicle investigators later determined to be stolen, police said. Park Forest CHILD ENDANGERMENT: Tianna A. Rockett, 26, 100 block of Walnut Street, Park Forest, was arrested April 8 and accused of child endangerment stemming from the April 7 discovery of a 2-year-old child walking alone one block from home, dressed only in a diaper and top in 39-degree weather, police said. GUN POSSESSION: Kian J. Albert, 28, first block of McCarthy Road, Park Forest, was arrested April 11 and accused of unlawful possession of a weapon after officers recovered a loaded 19 mm pistol and magazine during a vehicle search in that block, police said. South Chicago Heights TWO SHOT: Two people shot following an argument at 2:30 a.m. May 3 at a gas station in the 2800 block of Chicago Road were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center for treatment of multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Steger AGGRAVATED BATTERY: Christopher J. Stumber, 41, 200 block of Arquilla Drive, Chicago Heights, is scheduled to appear in Will County court May 8, charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, domestic battery and criminally damaging property, according to court records online. Stumber hit a Steger officer and kicked a Crete officer during a May 2 investigation in the 100 block of East Steger Road, police said.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Homewood-Flossmoor High School student dies in post-prom crash on I-94 ramp
A Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior was killed in a single-car crash on the Bishop Ford Freeway in Calumet City early Sunday. Illinois State Police said Monday they found Tom Mya Lyons, 18, on the Sibley Boulevard ramp northbound to Interstate 94 around 4:30 a.m., and she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. She was the sole passenger in the vehicle. No further information was immediately available, police said. The crash followed Homewood-Flossmoor High School's prom with the theme A Night of Enchanted Elegance at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago that lasted from 8 p.m. to midnight, according to the school's website. 'Tom Mya was more than just a student — she was a vibrant member of our community, a loyal friend, a dedicated classmate, a committed teammate and a positive presence throughout Homewood-Flossmoor High School,' Principal Clinton Alexander said in a statement. 'Her energy, kindness and spirit touched the lives of many, and her absence will be deeply felt by us all.' A Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233 statement said Lyons was a dedicated member of the school's step dance team, which ended its season with a first place win in their division last month. 'Let this time of sorrow bring us even closer as a school community. In moments like these, it is more important than ever to take care of ourselves and one another,' Alexander said in the statement. The district said members of its crisis team will be available to help students and staff who are grieving or otherwise struggling with the loss of Lyons. Support will be available in each of Tom Mya's classes Monday and Tuesday, the district said. There will also be designated spaces in both the high school's buildings for crisis team members to meet with students. ostevens@
Chicago Tribune
05-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Homewood-Flossmoor High School student dies in post-prom crash on I-94 ramp
A Homewood-Flossmoor High School senior was killed in a single-car crash on the Bishop Ford Freeway in Calumet City early Sunday. Illinois State Police said Monday they found Tom Mya Lyons, 18, on the Sibley Boulevard ramp northbound to Interstate 94 around 4:30 a.m., and she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. She was the sole passenger in the vehicle. No further information was immediately available, police said. The crash followed Homewood-Flossmoor High School's prom with the theme A Night of Enchanted Elegance at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago that lasted from 8 p.m. to midnight, according to the school's website. 'Tom Mya was more than just a student — she was a vibrant member of our community, a loyal friend, a dedicated classmate, a committed teammate and a positive presence throughout Homewood-Flossmoor High School,' Principal Clinton Alexander said in a statement. 'Her energy, kindness and spirit touched the lives of many, and her absence will be deeply felt by us all.' A Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233 statement said Lyons was a dedicated member of the school's step dance team, which ended its season with a first place win in their division last month. 'Let this time of sorrow bring us even closer as a school community. In moments like these, it is more important than ever to take care of ourselves and one another,' Alexander said in the statement. The district said members of its crisis team will be available to help students and staff who are grieving or otherwise struggling with the loss of Lyons. Support will be available in each of Tom Mya's classes Monday and Tuesday, the district said. There will also be designated spaces in both the high school's buildings for crisis team members to meet with students.
