Cigarettes lead to odd shooting

A nonstop nightmare kept Jack tossing and turning. Over and over, he dreamed that he'd been shot. And all the while, he kept scratching his leg. Semiconscious, he didn't understand the connection. But sometimes, dreams are weird and wild. And sometimes, so is life. It was no dream. The night before, the 42-year-old Peorian got shot after a long night of tavern drinking. But instead of seeking medical help, he just walked home and went to bed. He didn't go to the hospital until the next day. The reason for the gunfire?

A stick-up over a cigarette. "It was just crazy," he says. It's even crazier that he escaped more serious injury by double gunfire at point-blank range. And even with the injury, he somehow missed only one day of work. Jack isn't his real name, which we'll leave out here because he is the victim. He lives in the 800 block of South Olive Street with his wife. The night of June 12, he spent several hours knocking back drinks at a couple of bars near his residence.

According to a police report, he described himself as "extremely intoxicated" when he walked home about 9 p.m. But just as he was about to step inside his place, he realized he was down to just one cigarette. That wouldn't do. So, he decided to hoof it to a gas station to get a fresh pack of Pall Malls. At West Antoinette and South Warren streets, he was approached by a male. Jack couldn't describe him much to police, because of his hazy condition that night, But he told me the guy looked to be just 13 or 14 years old. The youth asked for a cigarette.

On Peoria's streets, that's often just a line robbers use to get close to a potential victim. But in this case, the youth seemed legitimately interested in a smoke. Still, Jack said he couldn't help him out: He had just fired up his final cigarette. Even so, the youth told Jack to hand over the slightly used cigarette. But Jack - 5 feet 7 inches and 130 pounds - declined. At that, the youth drew a pistol and fired twice. Shocked by the sudden gunshots, Jack felt a sting in his thigh. "I thought it just grazed me," Jack says. At that, his memory again gets a little foggy, as can happen with a mix of heavy drinking and sudden gunplay. As he best recalls now, the gunman ran off.