Robert Franklin, Tourist From Arkansas, Shot To Death In Chicago After Asking For Directions

Police: Tourist Fatally Shot After Asking For Directions In Chicago

An Arkansas man visiting Chicago was shot to death early Thursday after he and his cousin reportedly stopped to ask for directions.

Police say 55-year-old Robert Franklin was driving around with his cousin when they pulled over to ask a passerby for directions sometime before 3:45 a.m., the Tribune reports. When the car stopped, a man reportedly climbed in and announced a robbery.

As the robber was exiting the car, he fired back into the vehicle hitting Franklin four times as he sat in the passenger seat, police say, according to CBS Chicago.

Franklin's cousin, who was unable to provide a location of the shooting since he was lost at the time, made his way to Stroger Hospital where Franklin died of his wounds shortly after 4 a.m.

DNAinfo Chicago reports no one is in custody but Franklin's cousin was unharmed.

Two more men died Wednesday in what police believe was a shootout on Chicago's Far South Side Roseland neighborhood.

Police found 22-year-old Martellis Griffis shot to death in the 10500 block of South Lafayette Avenue around 3:20 p.m., the Sun-Times reports. Nearby, 28-year-old William Aikens was also found shot dead.

The Tribune reports the scene of the shooting was near Griffis' South Side home; Aikens is believed to live some 20 miles northwest of the scene in Belmont-Cragin. Officials believe both men had gang ties.

Aikens' mother, Irene, told DNAinfo:

"That's what everyone is going to be thinking — 'he's a gang member,'" Aikens said. "But he had plenty of people that loved him."

Several other people were wounded in non-fatal shootings around the city overnight.

A 29-year-old man walked into a Lincoln Park Walgreens around 8 p.m. after being shot in the chest and collapsed. Police described the man as "very uncooperative" as he refused to provide them with further information.

A 24-year-old man was seriously wounded in Wicker Park around 3:55 a.m. Thursday when he was shot in the 1200 block of North Wolcott Avenue during an argument.

Chicago logged its 350th homicide of the year Wednesday, according to a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data.

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