Friends Say Man Fatally Shot At AutoZone Was Trying To Help

Friends of Don LaRoe said he’s recovering well after being shot at a Colorado Springs AutoZone Wednesday. They’re also shedding more light on just what happened that night.

“Don went to AutoZone to pick up a part for his car,” said Doug Berwick, LaRoe’s coworker at Berwick Electric. “The individual was trying to rob him when all of this happened.”

Berwick said LaRoe got in a scuffle with the robber in the parking lot of the store on Powers and Palmer Park boulevards. He said another man in the parking lot came over to help LaRoe and was fatally shot. Police still haven’t identified him.

“He’s most upset about the man that was killed,” said Berwick. “He’s very sorry for that family. He feels that person was trying to assist him in the emergency.”

LaRoe was shot in the stomach and remains in the hospital, but Berwick said he’s in good spirits. He said LaRoe and his family were relieved Monday when police caught the suspect in the shooting, 60-year-old Earnest Schmidt. He said, since the shooting, the family has been on edge, especially LaRoe’s wife, who was worried the shooter might target LaRoe again since he was a witness to what happened.

“She was very relieved,” said Berwick. “She was very concerned he was out there.”

Berwick said LaRoe is eager to get out of the hospital and back to work as an electrician. His coworkers are also hoping it happens soon.

“He’s a man with a heart of gold,” he said. “We had an employee that lost a husband not too long ago and he’s done quite a bit to help her out with yard work. He’s just a man with a golden heart,” Berwick said.

There’s a fund set up for Don LaRoe at ENT Federal Credit Union to help with his medical costs.