2 Men Killed In Winthrop Harbor Crash Identified

WINTHROP HARBOR, IL — The Lake County Coroner's Office identified two people killed in a Saturday morning car crash in Winthrop Harbor. The coroner’s office was notified at 5:29 a.m. of the crash and responded to Lewis Avenue near 12th Street, and Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, for the death investigation of two people that were in a car when it crashed into a tree, the coroner's office said, in a news release.

“On December 2, 2019, at 9:15 AM, an autopsy was performed on the victim, 26-year-old Clifton Johnson, of Waukegan," Dr. Howard Cooper, Lake County Coroner, said in the news release. "The preliminary autopsy results indicate he died of blunt force injuries received from a car crash. Toxicology results are pending."

Cooper said an autopsy was performed at 10:25 a.m. on the other victim, 26-year-old Shawn Smith, also from Waukegan, according to the release.

"The preliminary autopsy results indicate he died of blunt force injuries received from a car crash," Cooper said, in the release. "Toxicology results are pending. The investigation into both deaths continues by our office, the Winthrop Harbor Police Department, and the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team.”

According to the release, Cooper added the coroner's office has been in close contact with both families and their deepest condolences go out to them during this difficult time.

"This is truly a tragedy,” Cooper said, according to the coroner's office.