Community Mourns Proud Dad Killed Protecting 2-Year-Old Daughter In Philly

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The community is mourning a proud father who was shot to death in front of his 2-year-old daughter as he tried to protect her from two gunmen in Philadelphia on Thursday.

UPDATE: An arrest was announced Saturday night.

Gerard Grandzol, 38, was shot in the face around 8 p.m. in the city's Spring Garden neighborhood in what police believe was a robbery and attempted carjacking. An online fundraiser has been set up in support of Grandzol's wife and two children, one of whom witnessed the brutal crime, which happened along the 1500 block of Melon Street.

According to NBC10, the father, daughter and family dog were returning from an outing at Fairmount Park's Lemon Hill. As Grandzol finished parking near his home, two men dressed in black held him up at gunpoint.

He handed over his wallet and then the suspects tried to steal his SUV, but his 2-year-old daughter was inside so he wouldn't let them. That’s when the suspects shot him twice in the face.

Neighbors rushed to help him but he died about 90 minutes later at Hahnemann University Hospital, ABC reports.

Granzol's daughter was crying in the backseat when authorities arrived, the NBC10 report said.

Authorities say the suspects, in their late teens or early 20s, fled the scene on foot. The fatal shooting was captured on surveillance video, according to reports.

The pair was wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and tan pants at the time, 6ABC said.

Loved ones and friends were shocked and say they will greatly miss Grandzol, a proud father who was active in community organizations and was fondly referred to as the “mayor” by neighbors. He and his wife had recently welcomed their second daughter in July.

He proudly shared photographs of his family on his Instagram page.

He was a helpful, caring neighbor, those who knew him said. “He engaged himself with everyone he met. That was remarkable. I'll miss him so much,” one neighbor told NBC10.

Grandzol is a 1997 graduate of Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, where he played varsity ice hockey, according to his Linkedin biography. On that site, he describes himself as a “professional legal solutions expert, urbanist, bike-riding, hockey playing, husband and father.”

On a Remembering Gerard Grandzol Facebook page created after his tragic death, dozens and dozens of photos, memories and tributes poured in.

According to his Linkedin profile, he was a member of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, a member of the Spring Garden Civic Association, an active blood donor and a Young Leaders Volunteer with Project HOME.

An online fundraising campaign has been established to help his widow and children.

“We will never be able to replace the, love, laughter and light that Ger brought to our lives, but perhaps we can do our part to help provide for his two children and widow. We love you Ger,” the GoFundMe page says.

It had raised more than $37,000 as of Saturday afternoon.

PHOTO via GoFundMe