Microsoft exec Jared Bridgen, a dad of four, was ambushed and shot in front of his toddler on his way home after he stopped his vehicle to clear a tire on the road in Florida in February this year.
According to The Sun, the incident happened after Jared dropped off his older kids at his ex-wife's home. While driving, the Microsoft exec was on a conference call with his wife, Kirsten Bridgen, and her brother. Kirsten said she was on the phone with her brothers when Jared called. She added Jared to the call. His brother later dropped off, so she talked to Jared and their toddler, Bexley, who told her in the background that she got ice cream. The mom of two said that her husband finished the chat, saying he was almost home, promising to see her soon. She stayed home that evening with her seven-month-old daughter.
"Pure devil"
After a few minutes, her husband was killed. According to Kirsten, her husband spotted a tire in a pleasant residential area. Jared was shot numerous times while attempting to clear the obstruction. Police said it was a "targeted killing." Kirsten called the killing "pure devil."
Three minutes later, a passerby discovered the horrific scene while Jared's toddler was still buckled into the Volkswagen Atlas car seat. As per the police, the car's emergency lights were blinking when they arrived, and the tire, which Jared attempted to remove, was still lying in the middle of the road not far from where Jared was resting beside the driver's open door, MEAWW reported.
Kirsten kept calling her husband's phone. When one of the police officers answered it, she knew something was wrong.
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Calling for public help
Kirsten said her husband did not even have the chance to fight back. The perpetrator killed him in front of his daughter.
As of April, the young widow said that she still hoped that authorities would get the people responsible for the killing, but she admitted that she was getting frustrated as it had been two months since the killing.
So far, authorities have not yet named any suspect, made arrests, and determined the case's motivation.
Police are investigating if Jared was lured out of his car. As Jared's killers are still at large, Kirsten is appealing to the public to report any information they might have to the police.
CrimeStoppers announced they had raised the reward for information in Bridgen's death from $25,000 to $50,000. Jacksonville Beach Police Sergeant Tonya Tator said that she hopes that money would not be the driving factor for someone to speak up, but if it is, she hopes that the reward money would help.
As of May, Kirsten reported that their surveillance video captured something disturbing outside their home a week after her husband died. She said she got the notification that a person was in the driveway, and the video showed a shadowy figure sneaking around, as per WESH.
