Sep 12, 2008 1:00 am US/Pacific
Thieves Steal Olympic Gold Medalist's Shotgun
LAKE ELSINORE, Calif.
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A pair of thieves broke into a pickup truck parked in a Lake Elsinore parking lot Thursday and stole a shotgun belonging to Olympic gold medalist Kim Rhode.
CBS
A pair of thieves broke into a pickup truck parked in a Lake Elsinore parking lot Thursday and stole a shotgun belonging to Olympic gold medalist Kim Rhode, according to broadcast reports.
Rhode was shopping for shoes for her wedding at the Lake Elsinore outlet
shopping center around 1 p.m. when the burglary occurred, KCAL9 reported.
When she returned to the parking lot, she discovered that a window of her pickup truck had been shattered, and her shotgun had been taken from the backseat, KCAL9 reported.
"I've won four medals with it and there's just no words to describe what the gun means to me," Rhode tearfully told KCAL9.
It was the only gun Rhode used over the past 18 years, winning two Olympic gold medals, a bronze, and most recently a silver medal for skeet shooting at the Beijing Games, KCAL9 reported.
"The gun is irreplaceable," Rhode told KCAL9. "It's a total loss. I'm just hoping somebody saw something."
The outlet's security video showed a dark red Ford Expedition with a roof rack slowly rolling past Rhode's pickup, then a few moments pass, where
detectives believe the gun is being stolen.
Moments later the video showed two men reappearing and walking toward
the shopping center.
Rhode has offered a $5,000 reward for return of her shotgun, which has stickers up and down the barrel marking each of her wins, according to KCAL9.
She is scheduled to leave for a selection match on Friday for next year's international competitions, KCAL9 reported.
Anyone with information on the stolen gun call the Riverside Sheriff Department's Lake Elsinore Station at (951) 245-3300.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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