A man who was fatally shot while helping his sister deliver food in south suburban Calumet City likely saved his life, she told NBC Chicago.
Steven Cotner, 23, was shot during an attempted robbery around 8 p.m. Thursday evening in the 400 block of North Merrill Avenue, near Harding Avenue.
Steven and his sister Allison were making deliveries for a local pizzeria when a caller asked for a large pizza. But as they arrived to make the delivery, an ambush occurred.
“…A gun hit me in the head,” Allison said. “…And my brother hears me screaming, and he drops the pizza.”
Steven was the only brother in a family of five sisters and was always the protector.
Thursday night was no different.
Steven ran to help and began fighting with one of the gunmen.
“He wanted to protect me. He saw blood running down my face. I was like, ‘No, Steven. No, it’s not worth it,'” Allison said. “…And that’s when I heard two gunshots.”
Steven was shot in the upper body and died at the hospital.
Two suspects fled and had not yet been apprehended as of Friday evening.
“He just wanted to protect us, and I wish I could have done the same thing to him yesterday,” Allison said.
The day after the shooting, the family seized the clothes Steven wore during his last delivery.
“I just want justice for him. I want to find the person who did this,” said Steven’s mother, Martina Lohrbach. “I can’t bring my baby back.”
The case is being investigated by the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. Anyone with information is asked to call the Calumet City Police Department at 708-868-2500.
