cidirkona
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KVOA News
Lorraine Rivera Reports
Gun store owner dies 2 months after assault, robbery
March 8, 2006, 08:08 AM
An Eastside gun store owner has died two months after he was robbed and beaten with a hammer.
Tucson Police say someone walked into Jerry's Gun Exchange on December 29 before 12 p.m., beating and robbing owner Jerry Zwicker.
Police say the 78-year-old suffered severe head trauma as a result of the attack. Zwicker is believed to have lost consciousness for more than 30 minutes before calling police himself.
Zwicker's daughter, Robin, said her father was healthy before the incident, suffering only from arthritis.
Robin says her father, who works alone, owned a gun shop in New York for 30 years before moving to Tucson where's been a local gun shop owner for 20 years.
Robin says her father did not recognize her and could barely move and speak after he was attacked.
"He was beaten about the head severely with a hammer and had a fractured skull and internal bleeding," she said.
Police have not made any arrests, and Jerry's Gun Exchange has been closed.
Robin says she hopes the person responsible will be held accountable.
"It was unnecessary," she says. "He didn't have to go like this, he was very healthy and could have been with us another 10 years or so."
The Pima County Medical Examiner says an autopsy was conducted Tuesday. Tucson Police say they may investigate the attack as a homicide pending the results of the autopsy.
