Obituary/police Gary Rasor (l) and the suspect
Gary Rasor was an 83-year-old Army veteran who died from injuries he suffered after he was pushed to the ground by a thief who was stealing pressure washers from a Home Depot store in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Gary L. Rasor died on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at Duke University Hospital, according to his obituary.
Surveillance video released by police shows the suspect push Rasor to the ground.
According to WRAL-TV, customers loved Rasor and referred to him as “Mr. Gary.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Police Say the Suspect Pushed Rasor When Rasor Tried to Stop Him From Leaving the Garden Area with Three Pressure Washers
Hillsborough police wrote in a news release that they “are seeking the public’s help in identifying the person responsible for a larceny in October that has now resulted in the death of a hardware store employee.”
“On 10/18/2022, the suspect in this video injured an 82-year-old man while committing larceny from the Home Depot. We need YOUR help in identifying this person,” police wrote on Facebook.
At about 10:40 a.m. on October 18, 2022, an elderly man employed at The Home Depot in Hillsborough “was injured by a man committing larceny from the store,” police wrote.
“The employee, then 82, was injured as the man was leaving the store’s garden area with a shopping cart containing three pressure washers. Surveillance footage released by the store appears to show the man pushing the employee, who then fell to the ground. The employee died yesterday, Dec. 1, due to complications from the injuries received. The North Carolina medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide.”
2. Rasor Is an Army Veteran Who Ran a Fencing Company Before Working for Home Depot
Raser was born in Columbus, Ohio “to the late Herbert Rasor and Kathryn Young Rasor,” his obituary says.
“Mr. Rasor was a U.S. Army veteran. He started his career as an Insurance salesman. Mr. Rasor then move to Florida and was in the construction business before becoming the resident manager at Ocean Walk condominiums,” the obit says.
“He and wife Yovone purchased and ran American Fence Company in Melbourne Florida which they owned for several years before moving to New Jersey. He continued in the Fencing business for several years before moving to Durham, N.C. where he worked at the Hillsborough Home Depot.”
“Everyone loves him, he’s an outstanding individual,” Andy Simmons with Hillsborough police told WRAL. “And then somebody does something like this to him just to commit a larceny, it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
3. Rasor Was a Married Father, Grandfather & Great-Grandfather
According to the obituary, Rasor was a father, grandfather, great-grandfather and husband.
He “is survived by his wife, Yovone B. Rasor; son, Jeffrey Rasor (Corina); daughters, Kim Kolens (Bill), Michelle DeWitt (Jym); step-daughters, Stacy Bucholtz, Leigh Bucholtz, Alexis Bucholtz; 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requested that memorial donations “be made to Habitat for Humanity (215 N. Church St., Durham, NC 27701); St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105); or American Lung Association (55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601),” the obit says.
His wife told WRAL they were looking forward to Christmas and traveling with their family.
“I’ve always wanted to go to the Panama Canal so we were going to start planning after the grandkid trip and now we’re not,” said Yovonne Rasor to the television station.
4. Police Released a Suspect Description
PoliceGary Rasor suspect
Police released this suspect description:
The suspect, a black man about 6 feet tall, fled the scene in a white, four-door, Hyundai Sonata with an obscured North Carolina temporary tag. Hillsborough police are investigating the case and request information from the public that will assist in identifying the person responsible. The surveillance footage is available on the Police Department’s Facebook page.
Police wrote: “Anyone with information is asked to contact Hillsborough Investigator Andrew Jones by email or at 919-296-9562.”
5. ‘Our Hearts Are Broken,’ a Relative Wrote
“Our hearts are broken,” wrote Corina Rasor on Facebook.
“I will share the news stories shortly. When I do, if you could help us by sharing (and asking your friends and family to share as well) the news stories so we can spread the picture and hopefully get that 1 phone call from that 1 person who KNOWS this person and where he is. Our family would really appreciate it. #JusticeForGrandpaGary.”
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