CALUMET CITY, Ill. – A family is pleading for answers after a young man was shot and killed and his sister was injured while out together on a pizza delivery Thursday night in Calumet City.
The family of 23-year-old Steven Cotner said he loved his sisters and would do anything to protect them. That’s exactly what he was doing when his life was ripped away.
“Thursday he had the biggest smile ever,” said Steven’s sister, Allison Cotner. “He was just so sweet.
Allison said her brother had been coming with her on some pizza deliveries over the last month to learn more about the job in hopes of doing his own deliveries soon, and to keep her company. They were delivering for Windy City Pizza when someone put in an order for delivery in the 400 block of Merrill Avenue just before 8 p.m.
According to Allison, when they arrived she spoke with a male on the phone, who she believed to be a paying customer. In several back-and-forth calls, he allegedly changed the delivery instructions several times before he asked her what kind of car they were in.
Allison said her brother got out of the car to bring the pizza to the address. As he walked away, she said everything changed in an instant. The first of two armed suspects allegedly ran up to her door, pointing a gun at her.
“He goes, ‘Give me the money.’ I said, ‘I don’t have no money. Please don’t shoot,'” Allison said.
Steven heard the commotion and ran back to help his sister, Allison said. That’s when a second suspect reportedly came up on his side of the car.
“Both guns are pointed at me,” said Allison.
The suspect at her door didn’t stop, she said. He continued to allegedly demand money while holding her by the shirt. When she didn’t hand any over, he pistol-whipped her, leaving her bruised and bloodied.
“That’s when blood started dripping and my brother, he sees me hurt, and I think that’s what made him want to fight,” Allison said.
According to Allison, Steven tried to wrestle the gun away, and even elbowed one of the suspects. She said one suspect started to run away but the other was still near the car. That’s when she heard two gunshots and frantically called 911 for her brother.
“I just wanted them to go help my brother first. I don’t care about me,” Allison said. “I just feel like I failed him because I couldn’t protect him. I know people keep telling me it’s not my fault, but I feel like it’s my fault.”
Steven was rushed to an area hospital, but succumbed to his injuries. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said his cause of death was a gunshot wound to his back.
Allison also was taken to the hospital, where she received two stitches in her eye. She said the pain from her injuries are nothing compared to the heartbreak her family is experiencing.
Authorities have not publicly said whether they believe the crime was a set-up or random. Allison told WGN News the customer did not pay with a card and she was instructed to bring cash to provide change during the delivery. She described the suspects as two young males dressed in dark clothing and wearing ski masks.
The suspects didn’t get away with any money, but they took something far more irreplaceable. Martina Lohrbach lost her only son.
“He was always happy. He had a big grin on his face” Steven’s mother, Martina Lohrbach, said. “I just want justice for my baby. I just want them to be found.”
The Calumet City Police Department and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the shooting and the circumstances surrounding it. No arrests have been announced.
“I just want my baby back. That’s all I want,” Lohrbach said.
Anyone with information should call Calumet police at 708-868-2500 or the anonymous tip line at 708-891-STOP (7867).
In the meantime, a GoFundMe has been set up to help with funeral expenses for Steven’s family.