Waukegan man shot and killed in robbery attempt
An intended robbery victim was shot and killed at his Waukegan apartment Thursday night when he tried to wrestle a gun away from an intruder, authorities said Friday.
Randy Hardy, 46, was killed at 6:45 p.m. Thursday in the attempted robbery at the apartment complex on the 1600 block of Berwick Boulevard, according to Cmdr. Gabe Guzman of the Waukegan Police Department.
Three people between the ages of 18 and 21 are in police custody and being questioned, with charges expected to be filed early today against the shooting suspect and his two accomplices, Guzman said.
Their names were not released pending formal charges.
“They all know each other and they discussed the robbery beforehand,” Guzman said.
According to the police account, the three individuals entered the apartment complex, knocked on the victim’s door, and after he opened it, one of the men pulled a gun on him. The victim struggled with the gunman as one shot was fired into the apartment’s ceiling. The fight continued in the apartment complex’s hallway outside the victim’s front door, where the killer shot him at least three times.
An autopsy performed Friday afternoon determined there to be a total of four gunshot wounds — to the chest, head and torso, according to Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd.
A child and a woman identified as the victim’s girlfriend or common-law wife were in the apartment at time of the shooting, but they were unharmed, Guzman said.
The three offenders fled through a park next to Clearbrook Elementary School, but police nearby soon confronted and arrested them. Investigators recovered a handgun that was wedged underneath a nearby trash bin, as well as a pair of latex gloves and a hooded sweatshirt at least one of the offenders was wearing, police said.
Authorities on Friday were gathering statements from the three individuals, as well as numerous witnesses who live in the apartment building and heard the gun shots.
The shooting suspect was not being cooperative with police, but the other two subjects were, Guzman said.
Police plan to pursue charges against all three.