Fox Lake restaurateur upgraded to stable condition after being shot multiple times by brother

The owner of Dockers in Fox Lake, who was confronted and shot several times by his brother Tuesday afternoon at the restaurant during an ongoing family feud, has been upgraded from critical to stable condition, officials said Wednesday afternoon.

Mario Martinez, 56, the sole owner of the eatery on Grand Avenue overlooking Pistakee Lake, underwent emergency surgery Tuesday afternoon at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he remains, police said.

“His condition is improving,” Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee said.

Lee said Martinez isn’t yet well enough to speak right now so his investigators plan to give him some time to recover before interviewing him about what happened.

“It’s not really a whodunit right now as it’s a why it happened,” Lee said. “What we’re hearing is that is was some kind of money dispute but we will know more when we have a chance to speak to Mario.”

According to police, Martinez’s 63-year-old brother, Marciano Martinez, went to the restaurant about 1:05 p.m. and confronted Mario about their ongoing dispute. The brothers were former co-owners of the restaurant, whose business license is registered under the name M & M Brothers of Lake County Inc.

The argument began in the kitchen where Mario Martinez was shot and continued outside as he tried to escape and was shot multiple times, police said. Marciano shot himself and was found dead just outside the restaurant, according to police.

Dockers Fox Lake posted Tuesday night on Facebook that it will be closed until further notice “due to a tragic event.”

“We ask that you PLEASE respect the privacy of the entire family and our staff, as we try to navigate through this painful time,” the post said.

The restaurant’s voice mailbox was full and not accepting messages Wednesday morning.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230517/fox-lake-restaurateur-upgraded-to-stable-condition-after-being-shot-multiple-times-by-brother