The widow of a slain Bears fan killed in Jacksonville last weekend has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community, and from the Bears.
Several players have reached out to support the family, and tight end Kellen Davis has organized a fund-raiser Saturday night (click here for more information), and others have made personal gestures.
“She was concerned about not having a job,” Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall said, via Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I told her to take her time and get through this. Use the people around her. Use us to breathe and take the time she needs and be there for her children.
“Don’t worry about any of that because we got her.”
Chris Pettry was killed last weekend in Jacksonville, leaving behind his wife Karen and three children.
“It’s shocking,” Karen Pettry said of the crime. ‘‘I feel like I’m going to wake up from this dream and it’s going to get back to normal.
“But I can’t believe this is happening. My kids don’t have a daddy, and I don’t have a husband anymore. All because of him.”
“Him” would be Matthew Hinson, who confessed to killing her husband outside a Jacksonville bar.
Chris Pettry wanted his wife to stay home with the kids while he worked, so now they’re faced with an uncertain future. Their 6-year-old daughter Jessica hasn’t grasped the reality of the situation, asking her mother “How come daddy isn’t coming home?”
“It’s been very stressful for us,” Pettry said, “but I can’t thank everyone enough for helping my family. I can’t believe it.”
Davis heard about the situation, and immediately started looking for a way to help.
“I just thought it was such a senseless and just a terrible thing,” the Bears tight end said. “It was pretty much a no-brainer just helping out a fellow human being who is in distress.”