SPRINGFIELD, Tenn. - The Springfield Police Department has increased the reward to $5,000 for information that leads to arrest in a string of armed robberies targeting the Hispanic community.
The latest incident happened Monday night at a home on Laramie Drive.
Authorities say a man was outside his home when he was approached by three masked men. They asked him for money and proceeded to go through his parked car.
The victim was shot once while trying to go back inside his house to escape the thieves.
"They're becoming more frequent and more brazen as far as the violence, " said Springfield Chief of Police David Thompson.
Over the last 6 months there have been close to 20 similar robberies. Just this past Sunday police responded to 4, one of the victims was shot in the arm.
Chief Thompson has a theory behind the victims being targeted.
"They're more apt to find Hispanic victims that have large amounts of money, large amounts of cash versus other populations that carry credit cards, " said Chief Thompson.
Edvin Vazquez who lives in the neighborhood where the latest shooting happened said that's a misconception.
"Hispanics do work hard during the summer months, but we don't keep money at home," said Vazquez.
He is urging community members to be on alert and report any suspicious activity to police.
If you know anything about these crimes call CrimeStoppers at 615-382-3799.
