Disabled veteran shot to death in his Jacksonville home

A disabled veteran was found shot to death in his home in Northwest Jacksonville.

The family thinks the gunman is someone who he knew and they think he was targeted.

It’s because of a trash can that was left in the driveway for days that Gary Tripp Jr. said a neighbor called police for a welfare check on his father.

“They haven’t seen him since Monday so they knew something was wrong,” Tripp said, “Plus his door was open and he never left his door unlocked.”

When police got to the home, they said they found him dead.

Tripp said there was no sign of forced entry.

“He didn’t bother people too much. Older VA veteran, retired just had a birthday the other day 69 years old, but he didn’t deserve to get shot in the back of the head like this,” Tripp said.

His father was a marine who served in Vietnam.

Tripp said he collected disability checks and he thinks that could be the motive behind his death.

“I think they tried to rob him because he gets disability checks, VA checks. So, somebody tried to rob him,” Tripp said.

The victim’s sister said she thinks the killer is someone her brother knew since they don’t think the home was broken into.

“He had to let them in. He had to let them in,” Cathy Holmes said.

Detectives spent the day investigating in and around the home and they carried evidence out in brown paper bags.

All while the family sat outside the home waiting for answers.

“It’s devastating to my family, that’s my oldest brother, I’m his only sister, it’s devastating,” Holmes said.

Police said they have no information about a suspect or a timeline for when this happened.

The family is begging for someone to come forward.

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Cox Media Group