A man was shot in the abdomen early Tuesday during a home invasion in southwest suburban Palos Heights, police said.
Scott Farrow, 51, told police the incident happened after he returned home from an evening at a gambling boat where he won a large amount of cash. Police said he was lying on a couch in his home in the 7900 block of West 131st Street when he heard the back door being forced open just before 4 a.m.
Two men he described as being in their 20s or 30s confronted him, and one of them hit the man with a blunt object, demanding money, police said. When the man refused, police said one of the men shot him once in the abdomen.
The men fled the home and footprints showed they ran west toward 131st Street and 80th Avenue. The victim went to a neighbor's house where police were called.
"When we arrived on the scene, we spoke with the victim who was still conscious at the time. He was able to tell us he had been on one of the gambling boats earlier in the night and had won a large sum of money," Palos Heights Police Deputy Chief Dave Delany said. "The money appears to be missing. Where he said it was at, it was no longer there."
Farrow was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition and underwent surgery.
Authorities believe he may have been targeted because of his winnings at the boat.
Police said there was no immediate threat to residents, but the incident has rattled neighbors like Shaj Rabadi
"It's absolutely frightening, and we are going to take whatever precautions we need to take to secure our home," Rabadi said.
