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Police suspect robbery attempt led to ‘senseless’ killing
By JARED JANES
Advocate staff writer
Published: Oct 25, 2007 - Page: 1B
Alfred Mequet spent Wednesday morning — like almost any other morning for the past 16 years — at Pete’s Farmer’s Market, where his job as a guard consisted of making sure nobody vandalized the open-air produce store while it was closed.
But the seven-day-a-week market never opened Wednesday, after Mequet, 71, was fatally shot about 4:30 a.m. during an attempted robbery.
The store owner, Doug “Pete” Pizzolato Jr., arrived about 5:10 a.m. to relieve Mequet and found him slumped over, dead in his chair in front of the cash registers at the market where longtime customers knew him as “Al.”
The registers sat untouched next to Mequet; they were empty as usual first thing in the morning. Nothing in the store was bothered.
“It was senseless,” Pizzolato said Wednesday afternoon as he stood behind the counter where Mequet died. “Didn’t take his wallet. Not a Coke. Not an apple. Not nothing.”
Police were called to the market at 4919 Airline Highway — near a busy intersection at North Foster Drive — to investigate Mequet’s death, police spokesman Cpl. L’Jean McKneely said.
Police believe Mequet was killed during a robbery attempt.
Police would not release a description of the gunman Wednesday, McKneely said; police are reviewing the market’s surveillance video.
Pizzolato said the shooting was clearly caught on tape, which he watched before turning the video over to police.
In the videotape, Pizzolato said, the shooter is standing by a side door before Mequet sees him and yells at him to leave.
Mequet turns away from the shooter, who then jumps over the counter.
The shooter points a gun at the sitting Mequet, who puts his hands up in the air before shots are fired, Pizzolato said.
The shooter makes a half-hearted attempt at the two cash registers — failing to get them open — before he jumps the counter and runs away.
Pizzolato declined to describe the man he saw on the videotape but said nothing was taken at the market where his father — Doug “Pete” Pizzolato Sr. — started selling produce 16 years ago.
Mequet has been there — off and on — since the beginning, the employee he would turn to when he needed something done, Pizzolato said, adding Mequet was like an uncle to him, 26 years his elder.
Working at the market was something Mequet loved to do even though he didn’t have to, said Linda Mequet, who married him five years ago. He retired from his work as a truck driver before he took the market job and other odd jobs.
He liked to help people, she said, and was often recruited to mow a yard, move a couch or make a repair.
She said the police officer who talked with her after the shooting said it was one of the “most coldblooded” killings he had seen.
The sign outside the market said “Closed,” but Pizzolato was still there Wednesday evening as he fielded continuous phone calls from customers and friends wanting to offer condolences.
Pizzolato noted the only items of value a robber could ever take is produce — an apple, a watermelon or a bag of peanuts. The cash registers are emptied each night.
“It was just pointless,” he said, his back turned to the still empty registers.
Print version-
Police suspect robbery attempt led to ‘senseless’ killing
By JARED JANES
Advocate staff writer
Published: Oct 25, 2007 - Page: 1B
Alfred Mequet spent Wednesday morning — like almost any other morning for the past 16 years — at Pete’s Farmer’s Market, where his job as a guard consisted of making sure nobody vandalized the open-air produce store while it was closed.
But the seven-day-a-week market never opened Wednesday, after Mequet, 71, was fatally shot about 4:30 a.m. during an attempted robbery.
The store owner, Doug “Pete” Pizzolato Jr., arrived about 5:10 a.m. to relieve Mequet and found him slumped over, dead in his chair in front of the cash registers at the market where longtime customers knew him as “Al.”
The registers sat untouched next to Mequet; they were empty as usual first thing in the morning. Nothing in the store was bothered.
“It was senseless,” Pizzolato said Wednesday afternoon as he stood behind the counter where Mequet died. “Didn’t take his wallet. Not a Coke. Not an apple. Not nothing.”
Police were called to the market at 4919 Airline Highway — near a busy intersection at North Foster Drive — to investigate Mequet’s death, police spokesman Cpl. L’Jean McKneely said.
Police believe Mequet was killed during a robbery attempt.
Police would not release a description of the gunman Wednesday, McKneely said; police are reviewing the market’s surveillance video.
Pizzolato said the shooting was clearly caught on tape, which he watched before turning the video over to police.
In the videotape, Pizzolato said, the shooter is standing by a side door before Mequet sees him and yells at him to leave.
Mequet turns away from the shooter, who then jumps over the counter.
The shooter points a gun at the sitting Mequet, who puts his hands up in the air before shots are fired, Pizzolato said.
The shooter makes a half-hearted attempt at the two cash registers — failing to get them open — before he jumps the counter and runs away.
Pizzolato declined to describe the man he saw on the videotape but said nothing was taken at the market where his father — Doug “Pete” Pizzolato Sr. — started selling produce 16 years ago.
Mequet has been there — off and on — since the beginning, the employee he would turn to when he needed something done, Pizzolato said, adding Mequet was like an uncle to him, 26 years his elder.
Working at the market was something Mequet loved to do even though he didn’t have to, said Linda Mequet, who married him five years ago. He retired from his work as a truck driver before he took the market job and other odd jobs.
He liked to help people, she said, and was often recruited to mow a yard, move a couch or make a repair.
She said the police officer who talked with her after the shooting said it was one of the “most coldblooded” killings he had seen.
The sign outside the market said “Closed,” but Pizzolato was still there Wednesday evening as he fielded continuous phone calls from customers and friends wanting to offer condolences.
Pizzolato noted the only items of value a robber could ever take is produce — an apple, a watermelon or a bag of peanuts. The cash registers are emptied each night.
“It was just pointless,” he said, his back turned to the still empty registers.
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