Employee of a liquor store in a Chicago suburb shot for stealing a bottle of liquor

CHICAGO (CBS) — A liquor store clerk was shot and killed when he confronted two men who had stolen a bottle of alcohol in western suburban Cicero on Tuesday afternoon.

Cicero police responded to a shooting at Licores El Potrillo, 2126 S. Cicero Av., around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, a city spokesman said. Officers found a 23-year-old man suffering from a single gunshot wound.

An investigation revealed that two men were stealing a bottle of alcohol when the 23-year-old man who works at the store confronted them. One of the robbers shot the clerk, who died from his injuries. The Cook County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Sebastian Rodriguez. An autopsy on Wednesday found that he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Friends and co-workers of Rodriguez said they were stunned and saddened by the death. They told CBS 2 that Rodriguez worked hard at the store for several years to provide for his three sons.

“He was a good man. He was my best friend,” said Alvaro Pulcho, Rodriguez’s friend. “He took care of the whole (family). He had three sons and brothers and everything. It’s hard, the situation for the whole (family). It’s very hard.”

Police were able to identify the vehicle used in the robbery and arrested two people. Cellphone video showed Cicero police making arrests in connection with the shooting at the corner of 95th and Halsted. Officers drew their weapons as they pulled the suspected robbers from a car that had extensive front-end damage.

It is not clear how police found the men they were looking for, but Rodriguez’s family took some comfort in knowing that those responsible had apparently disappeared from the scene.

Charges were filed on Wednesday.