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Man shot and killed on Chicago's South Side was guarding Kids Foot Locker store

Family mourns security guard shot and killed outside Chicago Kids Foot Locker
Family mourns security guard shot and killed outside Chicago Kids Foot Locker 01:45

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man shot and killed in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood Thursday night was guarding a Kids Foot Locker store at the time.

Sidney Cassell was 29 years old. He had five siblings – three brothers and two sisters.

CBS 2 spoke on the phone with Cassell's dad and stepmother while they were on their way to the morgue at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office Friday. They described him as fun-loving, and were still in shock and trying to figure out how such a tragedy could have happened.

Cassell's father said his son worked, and went home.

Just before 7:30 p.m., police said he was getting into his car while on duty outside the Kids Foot Locker at 8658 S. Cottage Grove Ave., when shots a blue sedan pulled up.

Unknown shooters then started firing in Cassell's direction. He was shot in the face, and twice in his lower body.

The suspects sped off.

Emergency crews rushed Cassell to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died.

Cassell's family said he loved to dance – and was always telling jokes and trying to make people laugh.

Guard shot and killed outside Kids Foot Locker store on Chicago's South Side 01:34

Caselli is not the only security guard to be shot dead on the job in the very same shopping center. Back in December, security guard Edward Fontaine Creamer, 53, was shot and killed while confronting a group of shoplifters steps away from where Cassell was fatally wounded. Creamer was a security guard for the DLTR in the shopping center.

Meanwhile, police as of late Friday were still looking for the people responsible for the shootings that killed both Cassell and Creamer. When asked if there was any suspected connection between the two homicides, police would only say that if there were, they would issue a community alert.

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