"I'm just feeling really sad because he was just someone that I loved a lot," said daughter Kayla Cantu.
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"It hurt his mom, me, my sister; it hurt everybody. I never got to show him I got first place," said his son Jonathan Cantu.
Arturo Cantu had remote started his car and was walking to it when he was confronted near the vehicle at about 5 a.m. near the corner of South Oketo Avenue and 79th Street, Bridgeview police said.
He was shot multiple times, police said. His body was found on the easement in the area.
Cantu's family, including his 10-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, is devastated. They told ABC7 the 39-year-old was a great dad and was always helping people.
"It affected me a lot. He will never see me grow up, he will never see his kids grow up," Jonathan said. "I can never forgive the person who did that to my dad."
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His children said they wanted to speak publicly so it could help the investigation. They hope anyone with information will come forward so they can solve this case. Bridgeview police said they are continuing to investigate a motive and search for the person who fired the fatal shots.
The kids live with their mother, who is divorced from Cantu, in Chicago. She did not want to speak on camera, only to support her children's wishes and offer condolences to the entire Cantu family.
"I want to know who the person is who killed my dad," Kayla said. "If you know something, just say it. If you seen something, just say it."
A neighbor told ABC7 he saw the victim take out garbage and then saw another man standing next to Cantu behind Cantu's car.
"I heard something at my door my window I run to see what's the sound, but no one is here," neighbor Mohamed Mohamed said. "I only see the lights on of the car."
Another neighbor told ABC7 he heard the shots then heard something at his window.
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"I put the creamer in my coffee, stirring it, and all of a sudden I heard, 'boom boom boom boom...' four of them," neighbor Randy Peterson said.
Mancha also said Cantu's girlfriend was inside the apartment at the time of the shooting, and the victim was found with a knife in his hand.
It's not clear if it was used in the confrontation.
"This is a rarity. I think this is our first shooting here in a year, over a year, if I'm not mistaken. So this is a rare occurrence," Mancha said.
Mancha also said the department plans to work with nearby businesses to see if the suspect was caught on camera during the shooting.
Both Cantu's ex-wife and his parents are trying to raise funds for his funeral.