The investigation remains ongoing for the individuals involved in the Jan. 8 shooting of the 45-year-old Comcast employee in the South Shore area of Chicago, according to the Chicago Police Department’s Office of News Affairs.

On Jan. 18, Cook County Crime Stoppers announced Comcast is offering a $1,000 cash reward  for information leading to the shooter’s arrest.  NBC Chicago reported 1,200 fliers were passed out throughout the neighborhood, requesting the community’s help to solve the armed robbery against the Comcast technician.

One “witness” interviewed by NBC Chicago said the employee was shot despite his apparent cooperation with the robber’s demands.

Although Comcast has an established driver training program thru its Comcast University, Utility Fleet eNews awaits details from the company spokesperson on whether employees are instructed to avoid certain “high-crime” areas or provided any safety training in that aspect.

According to Driving Dynamics, which provides interactive driver safety training to corporate fleet drivers, approximately 150,000 personal attacks occur in parking lots and parking garages each year. Being aware of your surroundings is one of the main ways drivers can protect themselves and their vehicles from theft.

Those most vulnerable to criminal attacks include persons who are:

  • Sitting alone in parked, unlocked vehicle.
  • Exiting their vehicle, reaching back inside to retrieve packages.
  • Leaned far enough inside the trunk to not observe someone approaching.
  • Standing outside a locked vehicle with no keys in hand (and no way to escape).

If returning to your vehicle after dark, drivers should try to avoid parking at the edge of the lot and avoid trees, bushes, and other obstructions that may hide the vehicle from view.

The Comcast worker is not alone in being assaulted while on the job. Just a little more than two weeks after that incident, on Jan. 24, a pizza delivery driver was also robbed and held up at gunpoint, according to a release from the Chicago Police Office of News Affairs.

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