Owner opening Westside cafe robbed, beaten, shot

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 79-year-old man was robbed, beaten and shot before dawn Wednesday when he went in to open the Bob Ayers Cafe on the Westside, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Police said Bob Ayers was approached by a man and teenager as he was unlocking the door of the restaurant on South Lane Avenue about 3 a.m. Police said the cafe itself was not robbed, but the crooks made off with the cash that was in Ayers' pocket.

"The man is 79 years old," said his daughter, Robin Eddings. "Why attack somebody that you know is not capable of fighting?"

According to the police report, Ayers was shot in the hip and hit on the head with a revolver, but not before he resisted. He told police he threw a trash can at the robbers and tried to reach a fire extinguisher he could use as a weapon when he heard a bang and felt a burning sensation in his leg.

"They're going to investigate every possible avenue," said Sgt. Shannon Hartley, of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. "We'll continue to respond ... and hold those people accountable who commit these types of crimes."

Police described the older suspect as a man 20 to 30 years old, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing between 150 and 170 pounds. The younger suspect appeared to be between 15 and 17 years old. He was 5 feet 5 to 5 feet 7 inches tall, 130 to 140 pounds. Both were wearing dark clothing and dark beanie caps.

Ayers' family said he has run restaurants his whole life and has resisted the idea of retiring.

"He used to have a few restaurants around town and decided that this was what he wanted to do for himself, just to stay busy and have something to do and help the neighbors and his regular customers," said Derek Siegel of his father-in-law. "It's unfortunate that two punks decided that that was what they wanted to do."

Ayers' daughter said it's not the first time he's been robbed, or fought back.

"The last time the guy came in and tried to rob him and dad distracted him as much as he could ... (He) grabbed the fire extinguisher off the wall and chased him out with the extinguisher ... full blast," Eddings said.

News4Jax checked crime statistics for that neighborhood and found that over the past year there have been three murders, 24 robberies and 136 burglaries.

"Most crimes like this one, it's a crime of opportunity. They may believe that you have cash on you," said Gil Smith, News4Jax's crime and safety analyst. "It could be a former employee or a former employee notified someone: 'This guy's carrying cash at this time of day.'"

Ayers' family said they fully expect that once he recovers, he'll reopen the cafe.

"We just hope that he gets back on his feet and keeps right on doing what he wants to do," Eddings said.

Anyone who knows anything that may help police should contact JSO at 904-630-0500 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.