A Philadelphia family has suffered an unspeakable tragedy.
Gerald Grandzol, a father of two, had just returned home from a park outing with his 2-year-old daughter and dog on Thursday, September 7, when two men dressed in black approached his SUV and held him up at gunpoint.
The 38-year-old handed over his wallet, but when the robbers demanded his car keys, he refused because his toddler was still in the car. That’s when Grandzol was shot in the head at point-blank range, per 6ABC. A home surveillance system equipped with audio captured the horrific murder. “In almost 29 years, it’s one of the most disturbing videos I’ve ever seen,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector James Kelly told 6ABC.
Grandzol, who also shared a six-week-old baby girl with his wife, Kristin, died at a nearby hospital about 90 minutes after he arrived, according to NBC 10.
Brothers Maurice and Marvin Roberts are in custody for the fatal shooting. Marvin, 16, was arrested Saturday, September 9, two days after the killing. He is being charged as an adult. Marvin is alleged to have pulled the trigger.
“This is just not fair that this is how he died,” the victim’s widow told KYW Newsradio. “He was just the best father to our two girls that you could even imagine. He was welcoming to everyone in the neighborhood. Everybody loved him and he was just the best.”
She continued: “Those two gunshots just destroyed my life and my two daughters don’t have a father now. I have a 6-week-old daughter and a 2½-year-old who saw the whole thing and I don’t know if she’ll ever be right.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.
