Galesburg neighbors witness murder - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

Galesburg neighbors witness murder

By: Jillian Wilson

jwilson@cbs4qc.com

It started as a car break in. But when a neighbor tried to stop in, he lost his life.

Folks on Chestnut Street in Galesburg say they will never forget the graphic scene.

"The kid that got killed, he's a hero. He was trying to keep our neighborhood safe," says Gavin Jones, a Galesburg Resident.

Gavin Jones tells CBS 4, he can't shake what he woke up to yesterday morning.

"Guy saying call the police, call the police," says Jones.

It was just after midnight when the victim, 23 year old, Robert Kilgore saw a man breaking into a car on his street.

That's when he stepped in to stop it,

But Kilgore was no match for the man's knife.

"We found the victim bleeding, he was taken to Galesburg hospital," says Captain Rodney Riggs, Galesburg Police Department.

Jones' family saw the whole thing.

"They're traumatized, traumatized. It's horrible," says Jones.

a few hours later, Kilgore died at a Peoria hospital.

"It was a tragedy that some kid lost his life over this, over a couple dollars," says Jones.

Jones says his neighborhood will never be the same.

"Everybody is pretty shook up really bad, we don't usually have stuff like this going on," says Jones.

Galesburg Police arrested Kai Lefler for murder.

Kilgore's death is still under investigation.