Armed robbery at Lansing gas station results in shooting that kills off-duty security guard
LANSING, Ill. (CBS) – An off-duty security guard was shot and killed at a gas station in south suburban Lansing on his way to work Thursday morning.
Investigators say it happened during an attempted carjacking.
Police responded to the QuikTrip in the 17000 block of Torrence Avenue around 4:40 a.m. for a report of a person who had been shot during an armed robbery outside of the establishment.
The victim, Cameron Webster Sr., 53, of Lansing, was pronounced dead at the scene. Webster's family told CBS 2's Sara Machi that he was on his way to work Thursday morning when the incident took place. His stepmother said Webster worked as a security guard in Chicago.
He was the father of three children.
We talked to Cameron Webster's stepmom from the front door of her home – the same place where police came early this morning to tell her about the shooting.
As a security guard, Webster's job could be dangerous. But the family never expected that he would get hurt like this.
"I broke out in tears crying," said Webster's stepmom, Mary Webster. "I didn't know what else to do."
Mary Webster told us her stepson left home around 4 a.m. every day - stopping first to get gas - before heading to Chicago where he worked as a security guard.
Webster's stepmom says police told her someone killed Webster while trying to rob him and take his car.
"They said they started beating on him, and he tried to fight back. One of the guys that he was fighting took out a gun and shot him," said Mary Webster.
She was not sure if her stepson would have had a gun with him for his job, or whether he would have been able to fire at suspects.
Lansing police Chief Alfred Phillips only told us there were several shots fired - and they didn't find anyone else injured on scene.
Video on social media moments after the incident showed a number of people using the gas station and pulling through the parking lot.
The gas station is so new - open only two weeks – that they still have decorations up from their grand opening.
"When they laid the foundation for this gas station, I was telling my wife, this place is going to be trouble," said neighbor Don Smith. "I was telling her, this is the perfect place for a crime, because it's right by the expressway. They can commit a crime and jump right on the expressway and leave. It's crazy."
But police say the area is safe.
"They have got a lot of cameras from many different angles - so trying to put people at ease here a little bit. They're well it up at night. Our officers are in the area constantly throughout the evening. We have surveillance in the area – block cameras," said Chief Phillips, "so we will make sure this area is safe and stays safe."
The Lansing Police Department and South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the incident.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Lansing Police Department at 708-895-7150.
