An Uber driver was fatally shot in the head in an attempted carjacking in Cicero, Illinois. He was working when the suspects approached his vehicle.
The Cicero Police Department said the brutal crime occurred at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The victim, 38-year-old Uber driver Joseph Schelstraete, was about to pick up a customer near 23rd Street and 55th Avenue in the Chicago Suburb just before the attack.
Authorities said four unidentified men approached the victim's blue Ford Focus shortly before one shot Schelstraete in the head. Police said the suspects quickly fled the scene of the crime after the shooting.
Officials said the victim was transported to Loyola University Medical Center to be treated for his injuries. However, Schesltraete's family said he later died on Wednesday due to the gravity of his wounds.
Senseless Killing
"There are many senseless factors of this tragedy, and that's one of them. They didn't have to kill him. He would have given them anything they wanted. But because of the unfortunate evil and wickedness of this world, they took his life," Kim Bova, the victim's aunt, said, People via MSN reported.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Cicero Police Chief Jerry Chlada Jr. said the suspects were able to steal some items during the encounter. He also said a juvenile suspect was arrested two blocks away from the scene of the crime after police set up a perimeter. However, the three other suspects still remain at large.
About three weeks ago, a similar carjacking incident occurred in the same area where Schelstraete was attacked. Chlada said police were investigating whether or not the two cases are connected.
"He has three young kids and was just out trying to make a dollar. He truly is a victim --- just in the wrong place at the wrong time, unfortunately. By all accounts that we can tell, he's just a hard-working guy," Chlada said.
On Wednesday, an Uber spokeswoman expressed their sympathy to the family of the victim and said they are working with law enforcement to bring justice for the victim, ABC reported.
Fears of Uncertainty
The incident caused fear and anxiety among rideshare drivers who said it is now difficult to differentiate calls from actual customers from those with other intentions.
Schelstraete's family said the victim experienced another attack just a week before his death. Bova said the father of three had a big bump on his head when he came home and promised not to pick up calls in the area again.
While police continued their investigations to identify the other suspects, Schelstraete's family said the ages of the criminals should not play a factor in their prosecution. "These juveniles are so much more callous and misguided --- so much more mature," Bova said.
Schelstraete's Uber work was his second job, and his primary source of income was as an employee for a steel company in Northwest Indiana. His family said he used the extra money to help his children with their expenses, CBS Local reported.