Chicago Man, 71, Shot While Watering His Lawn [Video]
An elderly Chicago resident who was outside watering his lawn Tuesday around 11 a.m. was shot by a passing bicyclist who allegedly attempted to rob him.
The senior refused to give the bicyclist and an accomplice his wallet at which point he appears to be thrown to the ground and shot in the stomach. See video below.
The horrible encounter in Chicago’s Marquette Park neighborhood was recorded on a neighbor’s surveillance camera. The suspects are still at large, and a $1,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to their arrest. Community activist Andrew Holmes, who put the $1,000, “told ABC News today that the reward has doubled to $2,000 this afternoon after donations from the community.”
The victim, Frederico LaGuardia, 71, is recovering from emergency surgery, WGN-TV reported, after making his way to a neighbor’s home and being driven to the hospital by good Samaritans.
“Laguardia was taken to Holy Cross Hospital and then transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital where he underwent surgery. Police said he is in fair condition,” ABC News Chicago noted.
WATCH: 71-year-old man shot while watering lawn; new Chicago shooting sparks outrage: https://t.co/mYAgWHEJMK https://t.co/k5UrWUPytP
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 8, 2016
The Chicago Tribune, which obtained the surveillance video from the neighbor, described what happened in the shooting that occurred in broad daylight.
“In a video… two young men on bicycles pass the man standing just off the sidewalk in front of his home. One of the riders circles back, gets off the bike and starts wrestling with the victim, the garden hose apparently spraying the robber during the struggle. The robber appears to fire at the man as he falls to the ground, then goes through his pockets before getting back on the bike and riding off.”
For the past several years, the city of Chicago, President Obama’s political hometown, has been experiencing a massive wave of gun violence. So far in 2016, about 3,000 shootings and 500 homicides have occurred. In August alone, there were 90 murders, the most violent month in two decades, CBS Chicago explained.
The city is on track for 600 homicides by the end of the year, the Inquisitr previously detailed. The last time the city saw such violence was in 2003, and more murders have taken place in Chicago this year than New York and Los Angeles combined. Over Labor Day weekend, there were 65 shootings, 13 of which took the life of the victim.
Man, 71, is shot in broad daylight while watering his lawn in Chicago https://t.co/kz8f1CnLcZ pic.twitter.com/8ptk6ei7Lr
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) September 8, 2016
Much of the ongoing violence in Chicago appears to be gang-related, CBS News indicated. “Politicians know that the gangs are reason for the deaths. Calling it ‘gun violence’ is much safer, especially in wards where gangs often provide political muscle,” longtime Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass insisted. Mayor Rahm Emanuel “has blamed the spike [in gun violence] on an increase in gang activity, and has called for stricter gun restrictions,” The Trace noted.
Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson wants state lawmakers to enact tougher measures to increase jail time for repeat gun offenders. Prior to Tuesday’s shooting of the senior citizen, Johnson pointed out “that many of the victims of gun violence over the weekend were ex-offenders who had served relatively light sentences, in some cases for previous gun charges,” WTTW reported.
Following the Labor Day holiday crime spree, the chief also said that “It’s not a police issue, it’s a society issue. Impoverished neighborhoods, people without hope do these kinds of things.You show me a man that doesn’t have hope, I’ll show you one that’s willing to pick up a gun and do anything with it. Those are the issues that’s driving this violence.”
A resident who lives about a block away from the 71-year-old shooting victim in Chicago’s Marquette Park area told DNA Info that “Tuesday’s shooting was another violent incident in an area where neighbors have been put on edge in recent months…[she] said the blocks surrounding her home are racially and demographically diverse, with lots of senior citizens and retired public employees. But since shootings and burglaries have become more common, ‘for sale’ signs have become a common sight.”
[Photo by Beth A. Keiser/AP Images]
Update: Chicago police have arrested a suspect, 30, in the attack. He is being held without bail on charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery with a firearm. “One of Davis’ relatives recognized him in the video footage of the incident released to media outlets…and contacted police, prosecutors said,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
