2 charged after beating elderly man in home invasion; victim shot one attacker
CHICAGO (CBS) – Two people accused of beating an 80-year-old man during a home invasion on the Far Northwest Side made their first court appearance on Thursday.
Mansfield Wallace, 51, is charged with one count of home invasion and two counts of aggravated battery. Tabitha Hemphill, 31, is charged with one felony count of home invasion.
At their bond hearing Thursday afternoon, a judge set Wallace's bail at $500,000, and ordered Hemphill ordered without bail, as she was on probation at the time of the crime.
Police have said they knocked on the victim's door in the 8500 block of West Catherine Avenue around 10:30 a.m. Monday, and when the victim opened the door, they began beating him.
During the attack, the victim, a licensed gun owner, shot Wallace. The suspects fled the scene and went to Resurrection Hospital, where at last check Wallace was in critical condition.
The victim also was taken to Resurrection Hospital, after suffering multiple injuries, and was in serious condition as of Monday.
Police said the victim's gun was found under the driver's seat of the Hyundai they were driving.
Many in the neighborhood were rattled by the attack, but relieved that the victim defended himself. One woman who spoke to CBS 2 asked to remain anonymous.
"I am really heartbroken for him and the family, because he was at home alone and he must've been really scared when it happened," she said. "You never know if someone's going to come to help you in time, so this could've ended really badly."
Kenny Vierneisel, another nearby resident, said, "I'm glad that he protected himself. If someone breaks into my apartment, I'm going to do the same thing. Right?"
Many in the neighborhood described the victim as friendly, quiet, and reserved.