3 arrested in shooting of valley food vendor

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A food vendor is fighting for his life after being shot during an apparent robbery.

Many who live in this neighborhood are trying to comprehend this senseless crime -- why anyone would shoot and rob an ice cream man who was just doing his job.

On Monday afternoon, gunshots rang out in the area of 38th Avenue and Vernon.

"And I grabbed him and I said there's shots fired.. it has to be right in front of the house," said Gloria Rojel.

Phoenix police say a man selling ice cream and snacks on a bicycle was shot and robbed. The victim was shot at least once and the injuries have left him in bad shape.

Steven Mitchell, Shaniqua and Shreeka Gilliams have been identified as the suspects in the robbery. Police say the trio approached the vendor and asked him for change.

Once they noticed he had cash, the suspects followed the vendor, pulled a gun and tried to rob him. When the victim ran away, he was shot several times.

"But he had took a bullet to his side. I don't know how many time he got hit, but it looked like one in the waist," said Adam Rojel.

The crime is shocking to those who have come to know the paletero, or ice cream man, that walks the streets here.

"He's always the one who comes through and everybody knows who he is and everybody comes to him when they want something," added Adam.

The neighbors are trying to come to terms with a senseless crime against a man who was just trying to make a living.

"There's not much money you can get off a person that is barely making it to make ends meet or even eat for the day, you know, it's really hard," said Gloria.