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Who was Jared Bridgen? Florida man, 33, fatally shot in front of his 2-yr-old toddler

Jared, who was a Microsoft employee was returning home but made a stop to remove an obstruction in the middle of the road when he was shot multiple times

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FLORIDA: Jared Galen Bridegan, a father of four and a Microsoft executive, was attacked and shot in front of his 2-year-old daughter while traveling home in Florida earlier this year. Jared, 33, and his daughter were returning home on the day of the assault after he had dropped off his children from a previous marriage at his ex-wife's residence not far from Jacksonville Beach, Florida. While driving, he was on a conference call with his wife, Kirsten Bridegan, and her brother. 

"I was on the phone with one of my brothers and Jared called in while we were talking. So I added him, and the three of us were chatting for a minute," Kirsten Bridegan told The Daily Beast. "And then my brother dropped off so I could just be talking to Jared—and Bexley, who told me, 'Mom, I got an ice cream.'" The mother of two reported that her husband finished the brief chat by saying, "I'm almost home, see you soon," as she stayed at home that evening with their other 7-month-old daughter.

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"Now I know that within a few minutes, he was killed. The next time somebody answered Jared's phone, it was a police officer… who told me to come to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department," Kirsten said.

Authorities claim that on February 16, while Jared was returning to St Augustine, he came across a tyre in the middle of the road in a pleasant residential area. The senior design manager was shot numerous times while attempting to clear the obstruction, according to police, in what they are calling a 'targeted' killing that destroyed a promising young family.

Three minutes later, a passerby discovered the terrible scene with Jared's toddler still buckled into his Volkswagen Atlas' car seat. According to the police, the car's emergency lights were blinking when they arrived, and a tyre was still lying in the middle of the road not far from where Jared was resting beside his open driver's door.

Kirsten reported to News 4 Jax how she learned of her husband's passing. "I took the route we normally take to get to the beach," she revealed. "And I kept calling his phone. And then one of the policemen answered it. And that's when I knew my gut feeling was right and something was really wrong." 

Authorities have not yet named any suspects, made any arrests, or determined the case's motivation. "As you can imagine, everything that we do we have to do it the right way in an investigation," Jacksonville Beach Police Sergeant, Tonya Tator, told News 4 Jax. "So sometimes we have to get subpoenas to look at people's private information in reference to cell phones, computers, you name it."

"I would hope that money would not be the driving factor for someone to speak up. But if it is, I hope that this helps," Tator added. "I hope that this leads to more tips. More eyes out there looking for the truck."