Marine vet Robert Sharpe killed during robbery attempt as he walked to dialysis treatment in West Garfield Park

Robert Sharpe, a 60-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was killed during an attempted robbery early Saturday as he walked to his kidney dialysis treatment in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.

Sharpe was walking on the sidewalk near at 4:55 a.m. in the 400 block of North Kedzie to go to dialysis treatment for diabetes, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An armed male suspect confronted him and demanded his money, according to police.

But Sharpe refused to give up his wallet, and a struggle ensued. The suspect then shot him in the left shoulder before running away east on Franklin, authorities said.

Sharpe, who lived very near where he was shot, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:43 a.m., authorities said.

Sharpe was a decorated veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, who was honorably discharged in 1990.

The suspect, who got away with about $8 and credit cards, was described as a black male between 5-foot-10 and 6-foot with a medium complexion, police said. He was wearing a white half mask with red on it, and was armed with a chrome-plated revolver.

Anyone with information is asked to call Area North detectives at (312) 744-8261.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

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