In a brave attempt to stop a robbery attack last saturday, Derrick Gholston ended up saving 15 men but lost his life in the process.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago food truck owner was attacked by the masked gunmen, who demanded that he handed over his property, and Gholston complied.
However, on citing that the men immediately headed for nearby Crispy Cuts Barbershop to continue their rampage, Gholston swung into action, pulling his own legally concealed gun to fight off further attacks from the gunmen, who had already downed a 51-year-old, with 15 other people in the building, according to WMAO.
Racing to engage in a gunfight with the two masked attackers, Gholston was shot in the torso, and was immediately taken to Christ Memorial Hospital.
One of the gunmen was later identified as Carlos Smith, an 18-year-old who was also shot in the gun battle and rushed to the hospital. His partner managed to escape and is still under police search.
Both Gholston and Smith died from gunshot wounds in less than an hour. However, the 51-year-old victim was responding to treatment from two gunshot wounds to the leg.
Devastated, “This is a guy that saw something terrible that was about to happen, intervened, and it’s the last thing that he did,” Chicago resident Nicholas Sidel said to WGN. But “In my book, he’s a hero…It’s really hurtful to find out that he actually passed away,” he added.
Gholston died leaving behind two kids, aged five and three. The 18-year-old attacker, Smith, was still masked at the time he was rushed to the hospital. The search for his runaway partner continues.
Last seen in an orange sweatshirt and jeans, it is believed the fled attacker was a black male, about six feet tall and weighed between 150 and 185 pounds.
