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Ice Cream Vendor Shot In Stockton

STOCKTON (CBS13) - A Stockton man who spread cheer with his cool treats is now fighting for his life.

Neighbors and family of the victim, a man described as an honest ice cream man, say they would have no clue who would want to do him harm.

"He does ice cream truck. That's his job for two years," said the victim's sister, Kishwar Rafique.

And for two years, Rafique says her brother, Mohammad, has stayed safe working on the streets of Stockton as an ice cream man -- that is, until today.

"Very sad; very sad; he should not deserve that," said Rafique.

Mohammad was found inside his ice cream truck just blocks from his Stockton home suffering gunshot wounds. He was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in critical condition.

"He's the same old nice ice cream man, and it's a shame that that happened to him," said Patty Pardini, a customer.

It happened right in front of Pardini's home. She says Mohammad is often seen in the neighborhood, and often children come out for sweets.

"There's at least five to six kids in every house, from the ages one to 10, so it is pretty lucky that no one was out here," said Pardini.

Cops say they're trying to figure out if what happened here was a robbery gone bad, but they're are lacking leads.

"Right now, we have detectives on-scene trying to talk to witnesses about what happened. Right now the motive is unknown," said Stockton Police Department Detective Joe Silva.

At this point, they say no one has come forward. And while they pray for their brother, Mohammad's family is tonight also praying for help.

"Please, if anyone has seen him around that time, anybody that see him, they can call us or call the police and help us please," said Rafique.

Police would not say if anything was missing from the truck or if Mohammad was able to give police any information as to what happened.

Mohammad's family says he has two small children. He remains in critical condition.

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