Cab Driver Shot And Killed In North Lawndale
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 51-year-old cab driver was fatally shot during a robbery Thursday night in the North Lawndale community. Police said they were talking with a person of interest.
Chicago Carriage Cab driver Chinedu Madu was shot in the chest in the 1200 block of South Albany Avenue about 8:45 p.m., authorities said.
Madu, of the 500 block of East 33rd Place, was later declared dead at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Chicago Carriage Cab, which is based on the South Side, has more than 100 drivers, said dispatcher Stephanie Jackson.
"When I got in I saw a memo that we had a driver involved in a murder incident," Jackson said. "It's terrible."
Friends say Madu worked as a cabbie for about 10 years and was in the process of getting his GED so that he could work in healthcare. In addition to supporting his wife and young child, he also sent money to family in his native Nigeria and was a member of a tight-knit Nigerian cultural and educational group.
Chicago Carriage Cab issued a statement Friday calling Lambert's death "a tragedy."
"We extend our prayers and condolences to his wife, Vivian and young son," the statement read. "Mr. Madu has been a driver with Chicago Carriage Cab for many years and had a reputation as an outstanding and conscientious driver. Along with his many friends here at Chicago Carriage Cab, we hope that whoever was responsible for his murder will be apprehended quickly.
"As the investigation continues, Chicago Carriage Cab will assist the Chicago Police Department in any way that it can. Again, our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends and they remain in our prayers."
Chicago police said Friday they have a person of interest in custody, CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reports.
There was a police camera near the scene and there may have been a camera in the cab, but there was no word if the video is any use in the investigation.
The last cab driver killed on the job happened in March 2013 when 48-year-old Edwin Obazuaye was robbed then shot to death by two men he picked up in the 0 to 100 block of West 91st Street, authorities said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
