Latest news with #ZahrieWalls
CBS News
18-07-2025
- CBS News
Alderwoman wants to require Chicago boaters to wear life vests after woman drowned in Playpen
A tragedy on Lake Michigan claimed the life of a Chicago hairstylist last month. Zahrie Walls was not wearing a life jacket when she fell off a boat at the Playpen and died. Now a proposed city ordinance is seeking change. Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) has proposed an ordinance that would require all boaters on the lake or other waterways in Chicago to wear a personal flotation device, or face fines of $100 to $500. Boat owner David Johnson prepared to take his friends out on his 24-foot-long jet boat for the afternoon on Friday, and said what's always part of his plan before leaving the dock at 31st Street Harbor is making sure everyone onboard has their life jacket on. "I know when I take people out on the boat with me, a lot of times from the moment we pull out to the moment we come back, I'm making sure they got life vests on. I'm identifying who knows how to swim, who doesn't," he said. For passenger AdeOla Fadumiye, a life jacket is a priority. "If I fall over, I would float and not drown. I can swim, but open water scares me," Fadumiye said. Coleman introduced the life vest ordinance to the City Council on Wednesday. It has been assigned to the Transportation Committee, but no hearings have yet been scheduled. Coleman said the goal is to get it approved by the City Council in September. The ordinance would make it mandatory for anyone on any "watercraft, sailboat, recreational boat, personal watercraft or specialty prop-craft" to wear a personal flotation device, unless they sign a release certifying they are able to swim and release the boat's operator of any liability for the risks of failing to wear a life jacket. Coleman said she introduced the ordinance after Wells died on June 21, after falling from a boat in the area of Lake Michigan known as the Playpen, near Navy Pier. Walls didn't know how to swim and wasn't wearing a lifejacket. "I have witnessed the pain of her family and losing a life, and then her family will forever be traumatized because of the loss of such young, motivating, inspiring young lady," Coleman said. Anyone on a boat in Chicago not wearing a life jacket could face fines of between $100 and $500. Boat operators who fail to make sure all their passengers are wearing life vests could face fines of $100 to $1.500 and between 10 days and 6 months in jail. Coleman said her goal is to name the ordinance in memory of Walls.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Chicago Stylist Dead After Boating Tragedy At Lake Michigan
A Chicago woman has died after allegedly falling off a boat and into dangerous waters. Zahrie Walls, a popular hairstylist, was recovered from Lake Michigan near the Navy Pier. According to the Chicago Tribune, the 27-year-old was found in the water and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead last weekend. Law enforcement has opened an investigation into the circumstances. 'It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing,' her mother, Kizzy Wells, detailed to the outlet. 'She was on a boat and allegedly fell off due to the current. She doesn't go out much because she works all the time, traveling to different cities. My baby works so hard. She was doing 10 to 12 (hair appointments) a day.' While Walls's tragic death occured during the midwestern city's Black Yacht Weekend, her specific vessel or location was not a part of official events. The organizers issued a statement on Sunday (June 22), per the Tribune, and offered condolences to the family. The statement also confirmed that the death 'has not been officially linked to any of our attendees.' Walls was a self-proclaimed celebrity hairstylist and racked up thousands of followers on social media. She owned her own salon and offered virtual classes as described in her Instagram biography. Walls was also best friends with Kenneka Jenkins, who died in 2017. Jenkins' death was officially ruled an accident due to hypothermia; however, the circumstances of her walking into a hotel freezer and not being found until it was too late sparked nationwide headlines and conspiracies. 'Kenneka was her person to try different hairstyles on when she was just learning,' Wells said to the Tribune. 'She never healed (from her death). She has her name tattooed on her upper shoulder.' According to CBS News, when Walls fell into the water, she was not wearing a life jacket, and she did not know how to swim. The outlet noted, the Coast Guard claimed to have responded to 34 calls over the weekend, despite normally responding to five to ten calls on a typical summer weekend. 'That's Lake Michigan. It's not a pool,' her mother shared. 'You have to have special equipment during times such as that. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Walls was one of two likely drowning deaths over the weekend as the Chicago Fire Department responded to 90 calls of heat and water-related emergencies. VIBE sends our condolences to the friends, family, and all impacted by the death of Zahrie Walls. More from Barton Fitzpatrick Of 'The Chi' On Reg's Resurrection, Playing Opposite Luke James, Musical Aspirations Ye Disses Cam'ron For Saying He Put A "Stain" On Chicago, And Cam Responds Exactly How You Think He Would DJ Funk, Chicago Ghetto House Pioneer, Dead At 54
CBS News
23-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Mother of woman pulled from Lake Michigan at Navy Pier stresses importance of water safety
A family is torn apart following the death of a 27-year-old woman who fell off a boat over the weekend. Her mother tells CBS News Chicago it serves as a horrible reminder of the importance of life jackets. "I would not wish this type of pain on any parent. Oh my gosh," Kizzy Wells said, fighting back tears. Her daughter, 27-year-old Zahrie Walls, stole her heart, and now she is in pain. "It doesn't feel real," she said. Zahrie was on a boat in Lake Michigan near Navy Pier with a group of friends, and Chicago Fire officials say she somehow fell off. The US Coast Guard found her body a mile and a half from shore. She was taken to Northwestern Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. "We don't know one hundred percent what happened, but as the days come about, we know that God called her home," Walls' godfather Brian Pickett said. Wells said her daughter didn't know how to swim and was not wearing a life jacket, something her mother said is a reminder for people as they head out on the water this summer. "That's Lake Michigan. It's not a pool," she said. "You have to have special equipment during times such as that." Wells said her daughter was a celebrity hairstylist. At the young age of 14, she decided she wanted to be a beautician. Kenneka Jenkins was her best friend, and she would experiment on her. "She would do different styles on her head to test. She was like the tester of the different styles," Wells said. Jenkins died of hypothermia inside a hotel walk-in freezer in 2017. Wells says Jenkins invited her daughter to the party at the Crowne Plaza in Rosemont, but she declined. "If my baby would have been there, Kenneka, it wouldn't have happened, but God has an expiration date we don't have control over," Wells said. Pickett said that despite her hustle to become a hairstylist, she remained humble and giving. "She left a complete mark on this earth for all people. She exemplified that," he said. The Coast Guard said it responded to 34 calls this weekend. On a typical summer weekend, it normally responds to five to ten calls.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Beloved celebrity hairstylist, 27, dies during day's boating on Lake Michigan
A celebrated hairstylist died after falling off a yacht in Lake Michigan, leaving her loved ones heartbroken as they grapple with her untimely death. Zahrie Walls, 27, was boating with her friends near Navy Pier in Chicago when she toppled from the vessel into the water at around 5:30pm on Saturday. She was unresponsive when she was pulled from the lake and first responders rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was tragically pronounced dead. Police are still investigating her death. It remains unclear how the beloved stylist fell off the boat, but her mother believes the lake's strong currents made her lose her grounding. 'Anybody can lose a battle with Lake Michigan,' Kizzy Wells, Walls' mother, told the Chicago Sun Times. 'Those currents don't play fair.' A friend, who rented the boat, invited Walls to come with her and spend the day in the sun, Wells said. 'I felt in my heart that something wasn't right,' she told the outlet, recalling the moment her daughter's friend called her and said Walls was going to the hospital. Chicago Fire Department's Jason Lach revealed to the Chicago Tribune their rescue team had to respond to at least two dozen water-related calls over the weekend, which included pulling people from the water and putting out boat fires. Other than Walls, Lach said at least two other people died in the water. The devastated mom described Walls as a hard worker and provider whose 'whole focus was to take care of her family.' The Chicago-based hairdresser and owner of Z Style Suites was known for her clientele of celebrities and influencers. With more than 76,000 Instagram followers, Walls' page is flooded with her patrons' glamorous end results after she styled their hair. Her mother revealed Walls' love for hair started while she was in high school, when she would practice on her best friend, Kenneka Jenkins. Jenkins horrifically passed away at 19 years old in 2017. Her body was found in a freezer at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Since Walls' sudden death, Instagram and Facebook have been flooded with tear-jerking tributes to her. 'I woke up to this and couldn't help but [wonder] why you, you will be missed truly,' one woman wrote. 'I love you forever my sister one of the greatest friends I've ever had in my life I'm so sorry,' another said. 'I love you so much princess I'm so so confused and hurt...I'm crying I'm saddened so many emotions it's hard to focus.' On Sunday, dozens of people crowded around Walls' salon for a balloon releasing ceremony to honor her life and achievements. 'I knew she was special when I first gave birth to her,' Wells said through her tears at the event. 'I was only 19 years old, and I didn't want my baby to struggle like I did. I supported her in every way.' Video shows guests holding yellow, gold and white balloons before letting them go up into the sky. Walls died during Black Yacht Weekend, an annual 'celebration of community, culture, and connection' in Lake Michigan, according to the event's website. In a Sunday statement addressing the fatal incident, organizers said Walls was not connected to the event or in its area when she fell into the water.
CBS News
23-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
3-year-old rescued from pool in Cary, Illinois
A 3-year-old was pulled from a pool and rushed to the hospital in Cary, Illinois, northwest of Chicago Sunday afternoon. At 12:37 p.m., the Cary Fire Protection District was called to the Sunburst Bay Aquatic Center, at 1201 N. First St. in Cary. Paramedics found the 3-year-old, gender unspecified, in respiratory distress after being pulled from the pool, the fire protection district said. A medical helicopter was placed on standby, but ultimately canceled as the child's condition improved, the district said. The child was breathing and responsive after being taken to an area hospital. Multiple water rescues have transpired in Chicago amid the extreme heat this weekend. On Saturday, rescue crews pulled multiple people from Lake Michigan as crowds packed the beach. At Navy Pier, police said a 27-year-old woman identified as Zahrie Walls was pulled from the water around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and taken to Northwestern, where she died.
