Dietrich snapped photos, and forensic investigators chronicled the scene.
JD’s face twisted at the gruesome sight. “Who the hell does something like this?”
“I guess that’s what we’re going to find out.”
We found the sheriff.
Jack said, “What the hell happened?”
“Somebody shot the Easter Bunny,” Daniels replied with a scowl.
A guy in a furry rabbit suit lay on the ground in front of a photo backdrop. Crimson soaked through the costume and pooled around the body.
A distraught man stood nearby, surveying the grim tragedy.
A number of mall cops gathered around, helping deputies keep the crowd in line.
"Looks like we've got security cameras and plenty of witnesses," the sheriff said. "From what I hear, the assailant walked right up to the bunny and put two shots into him at point-blank range.”
The victim was just a kid. Maybe 20 years old. Somebody had already pulled off the furry bunny mask. He had brown hair, a square jaw, and a clean-cut look. His lifeless brown eyes stared at the ceiling.
The sheriff pointed to the distraught man standing nearby. "He's the bunny’s manager and uncle. Might want to talk to him. The kid’s name is Cody Griggs."
I grimaced.
JD and I stepped up to the distraught man and made introductions. We shook hands, and he told us his name was Nate Griggs. He was a middle-aged guy with graying hair, a round face, and square glasses that framed his narrow brown eyes. He carried a little more weight than he would have liked and was certainly no stranger to pizza and beer, by the looks of his belly.
Nate removed his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said.
Nate nodded and frowned.
"Did you witness the shooting?"
He nodded again.
"Tell me exactly what happened. Start at the beginning. Don't leave out any details."
He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. "I don't know. It's all a blur. It happened so fast. This guy just walked up, detonated a smoke grenade, then pointed a gun at Cody. He fired two shots into his chest,” he said, barely able to eke out the last few words as his throat tightened. He broke down in sobs.
We gave him time to recover.
Nate pulled himself back together, wiped his eyes again, and said, "I'm sorry. It's just all so hard to process right now."
"No need to apologize. I know this is difficult. Take as much time as you need.”
He gave a nod of appreciation, took another deep breath, then said, "The shooter was looking for something. He searched the body, then he disappeared into the smoke and haze."
I lifted a curious brow. “Do you know what he was looking for?”
Nate shook his head. Through jerking sobs, he said, “I tried to stop the bleeding, but there was so much blood.”
He lost it again.
It was heartbreaking to watch someone in so much pain.
"Can you think of anybody who wanted to harm Cody?”
