Armed Man Holds Up 84-Year-Old At Cemetery

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville police have asked the public for help trying to determine who robbed an elderly man while he visited his wife's gravesite at a Westside cemetery.

Floyd Gaskins said he has been going to visit his late wife's grave everyday for the past year. The two were married for 62 years.
However, his Aug. 3 visit was nothing like what he expected.
Investigators said the incident began while the 84-year-old was at the Memorial Park Cemetery on Normandy Boulevard at about 4:35 p.m.
Police said a small green car approached Gaskins and the occupants asked him for directions before one of the men exited the vehicle, pulled out a handgun and robbed the victim at gunpoint.
"I seen the driver get out and I said 'Uh-oh,'" Gaskins said. "Well, he had it in his left hand and I could see the side of it."
The grandfather handed over his wallet, which contained more than $200. The thieves took the cash, and then took off.
Gaskins wasn't hurt during the robbery. He told Channel 4 that he has been through a lot since last year, but a robbery in a cemetery is pretty low.
"You don't expect it, and it can shake you up when it happens, I can guarantee you that," Gaskins said.
On Monday, police released surveillance photos from a Gate gas station a few miles from the cemetery where the armed robbery took place.
Investigators said Gaskins identified the man in the photo wearing a black hat and gray shirt as one of the suspected robbers.
According to the sheriff's office, that man entered and left the gas station with a second man who was wearing a blue shirt and a hat and had a beard.
Police said the bearded man might be a second suspect in the robbery.
"There was a time you felt safe in church, at a cemetery or even at home," said Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer Ken Jefferson.
Anyone with information that can identify the two men at the gas station or the green vehicle is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office at                904-630-0500         or call Crimestoppers at 866-845-TIPS to remain anonymous.