But on Wednesday afternoon, their ritual went terribly wrong when the two were confronted by a man with a lengthy criminal record on a Rogers Park street, according to Chicago police and Cook County prosecutors.
When the man hurled a racial epithet at them, Michael Tingling pulled his 15-year-old daughter behind him, authorities said. The man then struck her father in the chest, he tried to defend himself but moments later he collapsed in a nearby business and was rushed to the hospital in full cardiac arrest, according to prosecutors. Michael Tingling, 59, was pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston less than a hour.
According to the mother, Firek “stared at them, looked at her up and down, and her dad grabbed her, put her behind him and he told him, ‘You need to walk away.’“The guy was just standing there grinning,” she said.
In court, prosecutors said Tingling had pulled his daughter behind him after Firek had stopped in their path and asked, “What (N-word)?” Authorities said Tingling is black and Firek is white.
Assistant State’s Attorney Rita Infelise said Firek punched Tingling in the upper chest. Tingling pushed him, and Firek punched him again in the chest, she said.
A judge ordered Joseph Firek, 59, who is on parole for a residential burglary conviction, held on $250,000 bail Friday on charges of first-degree murder and a hate crime.
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