Exclusive Interview: Woman Says Man Accused Of Murder, Impersonating An Officer In Sircie Varnado Case Also Threatened To Kill Her

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago woman says she was terrorized by a man who pretended to be a cop and threatened to kill her. That man is now accused of murdering a Chicago mother in a Walgreens.

In an exclusive interview with CBS 2's Megan Hickey, Briana Smith says she is his first victim believes this tragedy could have been prevented.

She and her family wanted felony charges to be brought against Louis Hicks, but he received misdemeanor charges that were eventually dropped despite the victim's plea that Hicks was a danger to the public.

On June 12 sources told CBS 2 the store clerk at the Walgreens in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood spotted 56-year-old Sircie Varnado shoplifting. Instead of calling 911, he called a friend, 33-year-old Louis Hicks Jr., who allegedly showed up with a gun, falsely identified himself as as officer and fatally shot the mother of five.

The story was horrifyingly familiar to Smith, another mom living in Chicago.

"This is the same man that tried to attack me and said that he was the police and threatened to kill me," Smith said.

Smith asked that CBS 2 not show her face in the story because she said she has feared for her safety ever since her trip to a South Side fast food restaurant when she was seven months pregnant last July.

"I was craving White Castle, so I walked up the street," she said.

Smith said Hicks walked in and grabbed her receipt from her. When she told him to give it back, he said he was a police officer and then threatened to call her.

"He said, 'I will shoot you,'" Smith explained.

She said he then circled around the White Castle waiting for her.

"That's how they were able to get his license plate number," she said.

Several witnesses corroborated her account. And Smith's young sister watched the whole thing.

"My baby girl kept saying, 'Is the police gone kill us?' She's four years old," said Smith's mother.

Smith said she knew Hicks was a danger to the public and went out of her way to press charges for assault and impersonating an officer.

But once the case went before a judge shew as hospitalized and gave birth, so she had to stop coming to court.

Eventually the charges were dropped.

"You got people that's out here doing things, and they get a slap on the wrist because that's what they gave him when he threatened to kill my daughter," said Smith's mother.

Less than a year later Smith was charged with murder and impersonating a police officer in the Walgreens case and denied bail, but Smith and her family said it should not have come to that.

"It could have been prevented," Smith said.

Hicks is being held without bond, His next court appearance is scheduled for next week.