Niolis Collazo, school counselor, volleyball coach in Waukegan, dies in shooting

CHICAGO (CBS) -- She was a beloved coach, counselor and mentor.

Twenty-three-year-old Niolis Collazo was shot and killed over the weekend. Family members tell CBS 2 she wanted to make an impact in her community.

CBS 2's Shardaa Gray reports from the Waukegan Police Department with the latest on the investigation. 

While a motive is unclear and no one is in custody, the deadly shooting has turned this family's life upside down. A volleyball coach and graduate at Waukegan High School was killed on Saturday when gunfire struck her car.

"It just seems like a dream."

A nightmare that stepfather, Terry Joiner and his step-daughter, Mia Carani are struggling to wake up from. Carani got a terrifying call from her sister, 23-year-old Niolis Collazo Saturday night.

"All of a sudden I hear this loud sudden noise and she's screaming, ow ow ow. Just over and over and she says, I have to call someone," Carani said.

It was the last time Carani would hear from her sister.

"I just kept calling throughout the night and texting her. I texted her that I loved her and I hoped she was safe," Carani said.

Waukegan police said Collazo and a second driver were traveling in different directions when someone fired gunshots. The driver in the second car was not injured, but Collazo, in a white Honda Civic, was shot. She was taken to a hospital where she later died.

"We kept trying to call her through the night and when the officers arrived at our house at 1:30, I knew something went wrong," Joiner said.

Collazo recently graduated from University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She came back home and landed a job at Waukegan High School as the boys volleyball assistant coach. 

She was also a counselor with Youth Guidance's Working On Womanhood program at Smith Middle School.

"All she wanted to do was help people. She worked with autistic kids before that as well," Carani said.

Collazo played volleyball in high school and Carani said she inspired her to play the sport as well.

"She got me into volleyball and softball. I'm going to college in inspiration of her. I can thank her for that," Carani said.

Collazo was a counselor for the Waukegan School District. She graduated in 2018. 

"It is with great sadness that we report the unexpected passing of Ms. Niolis Collazo," according to a letter sent to school staff on Monday. "Ms. Collazo worked as an assistant boys volleyball coach at Waukegan High School. She was also a counselor with Youth Guidance's Working On Womanhood program, where she worked with young ladies at Smith Middle School."  

On Saturday around 10:30 p.m. police discovered that two vehicles had been hit by bullets around 10th Street and Lewis Avenue. Collazo was shot and taken to Vista East Medical Center, where she died. Collazo was talking to her sister on the phone when she was struck. 

A male driver of the second car was not struck but his car was hit.  An autopsy is scheduled for Monday at the Lake County Coroner's Office. Counselors will be available to school staff and students. 

The two vehicles were traveling in different directions and were unrelated to each other, police said. It is not clear where the gunfire originated. 

"This weekend, Waukegan was home to tragedy," Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor said in a statement. 

"As a Waukegan resident and as Mayor, I am livid, and I am outraged.  ... This senseless and stupid use of guns on our streets must end. Ms. Collazo was a beloved coach, counselor, and mentor, and on behalf of the City of Waukegan, I extend my deepest condolences to the Collazo family."

The investigation is ongoing, and the Waukegan Police Department is asking if anyone has any information to call the Police Department tip line at 847-360-9001, the Police Department TIP APP by texting 847411, using the keyword WPDTIP, or by calling the Lake County Crime Stoppers at 847-662-2222.