A liquor store clerk in Cicero was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon while trying to stop two customers from stealing a bottle of liquor.
According to authorities, 23-year-old Sebastian Rodriguez was shot in the head at around 1:15 p.m. while working at Licores El Potrillo, located in the 2100 block of South Cicero Avenue.
“Two guys came in, took a bottle, and [Sebastian] followed to stop them from taking it,” store manager Norma Brito said, mourning her co-worker at a small memorial set up in the store’s parking lot.
“That’s when the other guy just shot him,” she said. “For a bottle, over a bottle. Just one simple bottle.”
Though the suspects initially fled the scene, Cicero police said two persons of interest are currently in custody.
Charges in Rodriguez’s killing have yet to be announced.
Rodriguez, the oldest sibling in a large family, was working at the store to support his loved ones.
His family launched a fundraiser to help with funeral costs.
“Honestly it doesn’t feel safe. One day we’re here, the next day we’re not. It’s scary to know you can not make it home,” Brito said.
Police have not released the identities of the two people in custody.