A beloved trucker was gunned down in crime-ridden Chicago after he spotted a group of masked gunmen at a convenience store he regularly visited and warned the clerk.

Justin McCauley, 36, was fatally shot outside a Thornton’s in Brighton Park on Tuesday, according to officials.

A group of four men arrived at the shop in a white Hyundai and circled the station just before 3am, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

McCauley, who had a son, pulled up next to the Hyundai and spotted the suspects as one of them had already gone inside and asked the clerk to use the restroom, according to the outlet.

The report noted the trucker entered the Thornton’s and warned the clerk there were ‘guys with masks in the lot,’ prompting her to lock the door before he left.

But the men opened fire as he was leaving, shooting him in the head, neck and chest, according to the report.

The suspects robbed the station and fled after taking something from the trucker.

The trucker, who was found with an empty holster, may have fired at the assailants, according to the report.

Officials found blood, possibly belonging to one of the assailants, on ten 9mm shell casings in two locations at the scene.

According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office and police, McCauley was found dead when officers arrived at the scene.

McCauley’s father, Steve, was devastated by his son’s death and called for justice in an interview with CBS News.

‘This is a tragedy and it’s so horrible. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,’ Steve said.

The heartbroken father added that his son’s final act was heroic and that he would have done the same.

‘I wouldn’t back down and I wouldn’t let someone sit in that gas station alone either,’ Steve said.

‘If it meant my life like it meant my son’s life, then he’s a hero to us. If he saved someone in the process, then amen.’

The father told the outlet that while McCauley’s brother forgave the men, he wasn’t ready to move on so quickly.

‘They don’t deserve my words,’ Steve said. ‘My 13-year-old son, Justin’s brother, has forgiven them, has been to church today.

‘He’s stronger than I am, but I don’t forgive them for s**t. I’m sorry, but I don’t. You know what I mean? You took my life away from me, man. And if you think this is something, a game or joke, it ain’t.’

A GoFundMe was launched by McCauley’s mother, Millicent Miller, which has raised more than $6,000.

His mother described him as hardworking, fun-loving, kind-hearted, funny and a loyal family man.