Trucker on his way to work may have returned fire before robbers took his life

A truck driver may have returned fire before he was shot and killed by robbers during his morning coffee stop before work this week. 

The fatal robbery happened just before 3 a.m. on Tuesday, August 25th at a gas station on 3450 South California Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. 

According to Chicago Sun Times, 36-year-old trucker Justin McCauley pulled up to the gas station for his typical pre-work coffee and parked next to a white Hyundai. McCauley noticed four men inside of the vehicle, some with masks, and headed into the gas station to grab his coffee and warn the clerk of the potential danger. One of the four men walked into the gas station and asked to use the bathroom, and McCauley warned the clerk that there were “guys with masks in the lot.”

The female clerk decided she would lock the door once McCauley made his purchase. As McCauley went to leave the store and head to his trucking job, three men jumped out of the Hyundai and shot him in the neck, chest, and head. The men then stole the cash drawer from the gas station, and all four were able to escape in the vehicle. 

Police investigation of the incident revealed that the men took an item lying next to McCauley’s body before they drove away. McCauley was also found with an empty holster on his person, and ten 9mm casings were found at the scene. 

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family as they deal with this senseless tragedy,” a spokesperson said. “He was beloved by colleagues and clients, and his loss will be profoundly felt by everyone who knew him,” Midwest Foods, McCauley’s company, said in a statement. 

McCauley was blocks away from his trucking job when he was shot. He leaves behind a 6-year-old son. 

“They don’t deserve my words,” McCauley’s father said to CBS. “My 13-year-old son, Justin’s brother, has forgiven them, has been to church today. He’s stronger than I am, but I don’t forgive them for ****. “

No further information on the investigation has been released.