JACKSONVILLE Fla.-- A usually stoic former Chicago police sergeant laid out all of her emotions as she spoke solemnly of her beloved baby brother, Christopher Pettry. Pettry was killed at The Landing on Saturday in cold blood.
"There's just so many things I can't even think about now because I just know I'll never get to see him again," said sister Veronica Pettry in a Skype interview with Action News."I've handled many homicides and I immediately went to that bad place where you picture your brother lying there in a pool of blood with his throat slashed, and I just pray to god he didn't suffer and that he wast alone and that he went quickly."
Veronica spoke with her brother just hours before police say Matthew Hinson murdered him at Fionn MacCools. She says the Chicago father was counting down the minutes until the Jaguars-Bears game; little did he know, he was counting down the last minutes of his life.
"I did get to tell him that morning to have a great time and to enjoy himself and that I loved him," said Veronica. "I just never thought it would be the last time that I would get to tell him that I loved him."
Action News has learned Pettry was the sole provider for his wife Karen and his three young children. With no life insurance, the family is struggling. But Veronica says she takes solace in the fact that the final city her brother stopped in has a big heart. A local fundraiser has already raised $4,000 for the Pettry's in less than 48 hours.
"Please tell the residents of Jacksonville that we so appreciate everything that they've done," said Veronica.
The goal for that local fundraiser is $25,000. In addition to that, Pettry's sister told Action News that the Chicago Bears will host a fundraiser for his family on Saturday, where they hope to set up a trust fund for the three children.
