A Schertz woman was hit and killed by an SUV driver in Chicago on Thursday, and multiple sources say the driver was an off-duty Chicago police officer.
Maria ‘Tonie’ Schwab, 56, died at a hospital after an accident just steps away from the House of Blues, Chicago police told ABC 7.
The station reported that the driver of the SUV, a 40-year-old woman, lost control of her vehicle and jumped a curb after momentarily being distracted by her cell phone. Her SUV hit two women, including Schwab. The other woman survived her injuries.
Schwab was in Chicago on a business trip for Amplify, an educational technology and publishing company, a company spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The newspaper reported that the officer was cited for negligent driving, driving while using a cellphone, failing to reduce her speed and failing to stay in her lane and was relieved from her police duties.
Friends of Schwab’s told KSAT she was a former employee of North East ISD.
The district released the following statement:
“Our NEISD family sends heartfelt condolences to Tonie’s loved ones as they navigate this extremely difficult time.”