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(CNN) - A mother from Wisconsin who taught her teenage son to drive was shot and died in what police say was an incident of road rage caused by a small car accident.
With his son behind the wheel, Tracey Smith was in the passenger seat on Friday afternoon as the two headed to a Milwaukee clothing store, according to a criminal complaint. Smith's family said he was teaching his son to drive at the time, reports WISN, a CNN affiliate.
When the teenager prepared to turn left from the left lane, a golden van was placed in front of his car from the wrong lane, which caused the teenager to collide with the van, on the driver's side, according to the complaint.
Matthew Wilks, 35, is accused of killing Tracey Smith in an incident of road rage.
Smith, 46, got out of the car to check the damage and began yelling at the man who was driving the truck, his son later told police. The driver of the truck said: "P ****, I will kill you," he pointed a gun and fired, according to the complaint.
"He shot me," he said, before staggering and falling to the ground, the complaint says.
The suspect turned U in his van and fled the scene, police said. People nearby helped Smith get into his car, and his son took her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Milwaukee police said investigators retrieved a video showing the license plate of the truck and records link that plate with a man named Matthew Lee Wilks. The teenage son identified an image of Wilks as the man who killed his mother, the complaint says.
Wilks, 35, was arrested on Saturday and on Wednesday was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a criminal, Milwaukee police said.
“He was a beautiful person”
Smith worked as a sergeant at the Milwaukee Safe Detention Center, a medium-security prison, according to the designated Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Kevin A. Carr.
"Sergeant Smith bravely served the Wisconsin communities for 23 years as a member of the Department of Commerce, and his contributions to the Milwaukee Safe Detention Center (MSDF) will be felt long after his death," Carr said in a statement. "Today I want to express my sincere condolences and show solidarity with the family, friends and co-workers of Sergeant Smith."
His father, Ollie Luckett, remembered his daughter as a beautiful person.
“She knew how to treat people. He knew how to talk to people. It was wonderful, ”Luckett told WISN. “That was my oldest daughter. And I wish you knew how I feel. ”
Wilks had previously been convicted in 2008 of serious possession of a firearm by a criminal and serious possession of cocaine, the complaint said.
After arresting him, police searched his house and found a gun and drugs, according to an affidavit of probable cause. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a criminal and two drug charges related to that search, according to a criminal complaint.
Wilks appeared in court on the murder charge on Wednesday, and the cash bond was set at $ 100,000, according to online court records. He was also assigned a public defender.
Tom Reed, regional attorney manager for the Wisconsin Public Defender's Office, said he hopes Wilks will plead not guilty at the preliminary hearing next week, as is typical for defendants at this time in a criminal case.
"The case itself is interesting and we will have to see what happens with it," Reed said.
