As Chicago Crime Rises, Family Of Victim Says He Is On The Road To Recovery After Being Shot During Attempted Carjacking

CHICAGO (CBS) – Crime has an impact on many of us, including the family of a man who was shot during an attempted carjacking.

Leroy Dennis, 30, is in fair condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center. CBS 2's Shardaa Gray spoke with family members who say he's responsive and is breathing on his own, but the bullet hit a main artery. The road to recovery will be slow all due to a senseless shooting.

"You hang in there for us because we got you back here."

Clinging to dear life, this family is distraught.

"I thought he was gone."

This was the first-time family members were able to see Leroy Dennis III, through zoom, since the shooting.

"I hope my daddy gets better."

A father of four, including a two-week-old baby, Dennis has had four operations since Saturday including surgery on his heart and liver.

"I want my dada."

Dennis told his family last Saturday he was driving when he was shot by a would-be carjacker at 88th and Ada. His vehicle ran into several cars.

"Someone was chasing him from Everdeen all the way down to Ida and they were saying, a good description, like he was trying to get away."

Christina Dennis is his younger sister, and she says he believes this was his fault.

"He just had his guard down because he's concealed to carry and he normally has his weapons on him, but this day he didn't," she said.

Being a family man and starting his own trucking business, she says he's never looked for trouble.

"He's not really into, you know gangs or the streets or anything like that, he wasn't raised like that. Our grandma raised us. She didn't play that," Christina said.

His uncle, Jerry Carpenter, says it's time for a change.

"This type of crime is wreaking havoc in our black community and it's so unfortunate," Carpenter said.

He says this has been emotionally challenging but would really like to see the black community step up and speak out.

"I think that family members know. You have a little thug cousin, you have a criminal element nephew, your grandson is violent, you need to call the authorities and let someone know because I guarantee someone out there knows who the perpetrators are," Carpenter said.

The family says Leroy is the sole provider for his wife and children, so they've set up a GoFundMe page where they're aiming to collect $100,000 for his mortgage and bills.