MADISON, WI (WISC/CNN) – While being held at gunpoint during a robbery, a 56-year-old contractor was “literally scared to death,” police say.
Four men were working on a remodeling project at a Culver’s restaurant in Madison, WI, around 3 a.m. Tuesday, when two masked, armed men entered through the back door, according to police.
One of the robbers held the men at gunpoint while the other targeted the restaurant’s safe, police say. The men were held captive for up to an hour.
About 45 minutes into the situation, one of the workers, a 56-year-old man, suffered a life-threatening medical incident.
"You have an instance where the victim was literally scared to death,” said Chief Mike Koval with the Madison Police.
The suspects did not call 911 or let anyone else do so, nor did they allow the other workers to help the man. They collected the money from the safe and left five minutes later.
Madison Police say they are investigating the incident as a homicide, and they are calling for felony murder charges against the suspects.
"There's a certain vileness. There's a certain despicability about the whole thing,” Koval said.
The 56-year-old’s official cause of death will come from the coroner, Koval says.
Officers are reviewing security video and going over previous unsolved robberies as they search for the men responsible.
The restaurant will remain closed until authorities have concluded their investigation.
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