Arab American community calls for justice after man fatally hit by car in Oak Lawn, but driver not charged

The family of a 28-year-old Palestinian American who died outside his Oak Lawn home earlier this month after being hit by a car called for justice Tuesday and for the driver to be charged.

Murod Kurdi was standing June 5 near his parked car outside his family’s home when he was hit by a car, according to his family. The driver drove a block away before stopping, they said.

The driver, who police told the family drank before hitting Kurdi, was not charged with homicide, said Muhammad Sankari, the lead organizer with the Arab American Action Network.

“We’re all here today because the Oak Lawn Police Department has again made a choice. A choice to treat our community as less than,” Sankari said.

Oak Lawn police Chief Daniel Vittorio declined to comment citing a pending investigation. Vittorio expressed condolences to the family.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office reported Kurdi was pronounced dead at 8:08 p.m. June 6 at Advocate Christ Medical Center. The cause of death was still listed as pending Wednesday.

Fadia Muhamad, Kurdi’s mother, said her son was a beloved brother and nephew who never had an encounter with the law.

“He provided and took care of me, especially after the death of his father seven months ago,” Muhamad said.

Dozens of people gathered Tuesday outside the Oak Lawn Village Hall and Police Department, chanting Kurdi’s name and calling for justice.

Sankari pointed out the 14 officers monitoring the crowd, including two on the roof of the municipal building, was a larger police presence than the response and investigation into Kurdi’s death.

“Murod’s life mattered and justice for Murod matters,” Sankari said.

A few days after the accident, the family and their attorney, David Petrich, met with the Oak Lawn police, and they were informed the driver told police she had two drinks at a local bar before the accident, Petrich said. They were told that alcohol was not a contributing factor in the accident, he said.

During the meeting, Petrich said, police stated an officer smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath but that she refused to take a Breathalyzer or field sobriety test.

“Simply put, she refused to cooperate with the investigation further,” Petrich said.

Petrich said the Oak Lawn Police Department should have demanded to have a blood alcohol test done.

Mark Hollingsworth, one of the officers who assisted in the violent arrest of a then 17-year-old last July, attended the meeting and told the family the driver would receive a traffic citation.

The investigation was “fatally flawed,” Petrich said, and he called on police “to finally do the right thing.”

“We all continue to pray for justice,” Petrich said.

Muhamad Suleiman, Kurdi’s cousin, said he was at the scene of the accident and was the one who called for an ambulance after police arrived. Suleiman said the officers showed no urgency.

“They were just moving at a slow pace,” Suleiman said.

Nader Kurdi, who attended the rally, said he was out of the country when he received a phone call that his younger cousin died. He booked a flight back home the same day.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Kurdi said. “The driver for sure got to go to jail.”