Wisconsin boy, 17, drives his dying mother, 46, to hospital after she is 'fatally shot in a road rage incident' while teaching him to drive
- A Wisconsin mom died in a suspected road rage incident over the weekend while teaching her teenage son how to drive
- Tracey Smith, 46, was giving her 17-year-old son a driving lesson on Friday when the pair got into what investigators described as 'a minor accident'
- Things took a tragic turn when Smith, a sergeant with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, got out to confront a driver who ran into them an an intersection
- The two exchanged words and Smith was shot during the encounter
- The suspect fled the scene and Smith's son rushed her to a hospital but she died
- Police have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the shooting
A Wisconsin mother was shot dead as she taught her teenage son to drive in a road-rage incident on Friday.
Tracey Smith, 46, a sergeant who worked for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections was teaching her 17-year-old son behind the wheel in Milwaukee when the pair were involved in a minor collision with another vehicle.
It set off a chain of tragic events that ended with the mother being shot right in front of her son.
Tracey Smith, 46, was giving her 17-year-old son a driving lesson on Friday when the pair got into what investigators described as 'a minor accident'. She was shot dead by another driver
Milwaukee Police wrote in a tweet, 'This stemmed from a minor accident that occurred. The passenger of the vehicle that was hit got out and confronted the [driver] of the striking vehicle,' police said in a statement Monday.
'Words were exchanged and the driver of the striking vehicle pulled out a firearm and shot the passenger.
'The suspect fled the scene and witnesses drove the victim to a local hospital. Life-saving measures were done upon her arrival, however, she passed away.'
In actual fact, the 17-year-old son whom Smith was teaching ended up driving his own mother to hospital where she later died from her injuries.
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Smith, seen on the far right, was a corrections sergeant in Milwaukee. Family said she worked hard for her two boys, one of whom was learning to drive. Other family members, including her parents and sister, left, are pictured here
Things took a tragic turn when Smith, a sergeant with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, got out to confront the driver who ran into them at an intersection, pictured
'The guy zig-zagged in the street, and he also hit her,' JoAnne Luckett, Smith's mother, told Fox 6. 'She went out to look to see what was going on.'
The 35-year-old suspect fled the scene but police arrested him Monday according to WTMJ.
'That was a real weak man move to sit there and shoot a lady in front of her son,' said Sherri Luckett, Smith's younger sister.
'What was she supposed to do?' Luckett asked. 'Sit there in the car hoping he fled the scene?'
'She went to work every day,' Luckett said. 'She made a life for her and her sons. I wake up every morning and it's like, 'Wow. Tracey is not here.' I hate it.'
Smith's parents, Ollie and JoAnne Luckett say they are devastated by their daughter's death
'I just hope he can bounce back,' Luckett said speaking of the teenage boy. 'I'm just praying he will stay on track and won't allow what would break most people to break him.'
Police say they have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the shooting. His identity has not yet been released.
Kevin Carr, secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, said Smith had been with the department for 23 years.
He called her death a 'senseless act of violence' and promised to 'stand in solidarity' with her family in their time of mourning.
'Sgt. Smith courageously served Wisconsin communities for 23 years as a member of the DOC, and her contributions to the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF) will be felt long after her passing,' Carr said in a statement.
'Today, I want to express my sincere condolences and stand in solidarity with Sgt. Smith's family, friends and co-workers.'
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