Gunfire erupts during carjacking of Illinois state senator’s Mercedes SUV, cops say
Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford and her husband were carjacked at gunpoint on Dec. 21, police said in a news release.
After opening fire, the carjackers got away with her Mercedes-Benz, police said.
At about 9:45 p.m. the state senator and her husband Eric McKennie were in Broadview, a western suburb of Chicago, when they were carjacked in her black SUV by three masked people, police said in the release.
The three people were driving a Dodge Durango SUV when they held Lightford and McKennie at gunpoint and stole the vehicle, the release said.
Police said multiple gunshots were fired, but the state senator and her husband were both unharmed.
The masked people split up in the two SUVs and fled the scene, police said. Officers are using surveillance footage as part of their investigation.
In a statement to news outlets, Lightford said she was grateful for the Broadview Police Department’s help.
“First and foremost I am thankful that my husband and I are alive and physically unharmed,” the state senator said. “I am trying to process the trauma of what happened. I want to thank everyone who has offered their love and support. I want to especially thank Mayor Katrina Thompson and the Broadview Police Department for their quick and thorough response.”
Lightford has represented District 4 in Illinois since 1998 and has served as the Senate majority leader since 2019.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Gunfire erupts during carjacking of Illinois state senator’s Mercedes SUV, cops say."
