A trucker was fatally shot in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood on Tuesday after he warned a convenience store clerk about masked individuals circling the establishment in a white Hyundai. Justin McCauley, 36, was killed just before 3 a.m. outside a Thornton's store.
McCauley had pulled up next to the Hyundai and observed four men, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. One of the suspects had already entered the store and asked to use the restroom. McCauley then entered the store and alerted the clerk to the presence of "guys with masks in the lot." The clerk then locked the door.
As McCauley was leaving, the suspects opened fire, striking him in the head, neck, and chest. The assailants then robbed the convenience store and fled, taking an item from McCauley. Officials found ten 9mm shell casings at the scene, with blood possibly belonging to one of the assailants found in two locations.
MCCauley was found dead when officers arrived. He was reportedly found with an empty holster, and may have fired at his assailants.
McCauley's father, Steve, expressed his grief and called for justice. He described his son's actions as heroic, stating, "If it meant my life like it meant my son's life, then he's a hero to us." McCauley's mother, Millicent Miller, who launched a GoFundMe for funeral expenses, remembered him as hardworking, fun-loving, kind-hearted, funny, and a loyal family man. A GoFundMe had raised over $6,000 as of the report.