Airport worker, 32, dies after he’s shot driving home, family says. ‘They took our joy’

A 32-year-old man died after being shot while driving home from the airport where he worked, his Illinois family said.

Family members said Johnny Huizar left work at Midway International Airport in Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 9, and was blocks away from his home when he was shot, according to WGN and WLS.

Two men fired shots from the sidewalk, striking Huizar in the face, Chicago police said.

“I turned around, looked at my brother, and he was standing outside of his car, holding onto the door and he was bleeding from his eye and his ear,” Brenda Huizar told WGN.

Police said Huizar was taken to a hospital in fair condition, but he was later pronounced dead.

The shooting remains under investigation and no arrests have been made, police said.

“They took him away from us, and it’s not fair. They took our joy,” his cousin, Magaly Zambrano, told WLS. “They took our teddy bear.”

The family said in a GoFundMe the shooting “has left us with a huge void in our hearts.”

“If you knew Johnny, you know he had a beautiful heart,” the GoFundMe said. “He was loyal, caring and he was the life of the party.”

This story was originally published December 14, 2023 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Airport worker, 32, dies after he’s shot driving home, family says. ‘They took our joy’."