An iPad may have saved the life of a man who was shot and wounded outside of the Evanston Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Sunday, police said Tuesday.
They said Alex Gorobets, 66, of the 100 block of Minthaven Court, Gurnee, is charged with attempted first degree murder and felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in the shooting, after he allegedly tried to shoot and kill a Wheeling man outside of the Evanston church in a dispute over money.
On February 12, at approximately 4:10 p.m. Evanston police responded to the area of Ashland Avenue and Payne Street, near the church, for a shooting, police said in a release. They said an initial investigation revealed that the victim, a 39 year-old man from Wheeling, was standing in the parking lot of the Evanston Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in the 2100 block of Ashland Avenue, when he was approached by Gorobets who fired two rounds at the victim, the release said.
It said the victim “blocked one bullet by holding up a bag containing an iPad” and it is believed the second round struck the pavement. The victim and the victim’s brother were able to disarm Gorobets until police arrived and secured the scene.
Other than a minor injury to the victim’s left thumb, no one else was injured in this incident, said police. They said it appears the thumb injury was “a graze wound from the bullet that struck the iPad.” The investigation included an interview of Gorobets, who said he committed the crime because the victim stole a “large sum of money from him three years ago,” the release said.
Police said the victim denies he stole money from Gorobets.
Detectives interviewed witnesses and reviewed surveillance footage, police said, adding that the “cooperation of the witnesses and of the Evanston Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses was of great value to detectives completing their investigation.”
Detectives reviewed their case with the Cook County State’s Attorneys Office, which approved the felony charges for attempted murder and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, police said. They said the victim received treatment from Evanston Fire Services on scene but was not transported to an area hospital.
Gorobets is being held without bond and is scheduled for a Feb. 28, preliminary hearing at the Skokie Courthouse, police said.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
