Home Depot worker is shot and killed inside the store while trying to stop shoplifter
A Home Depot employee in California was shot and killed outside the store while trying to stop a thief from leaving with stolen goods.
Authorities say the deadly attack occurred Tuesday afternoon in Pleasanton, a city east of San Francisco.
Officers received a report of a bleeding man in the store around 2:15 p.m. Emergency services assisted the victim, who was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Witnesses reported that the victim, 26-year-old Blake Mohs, tried to stop a robbery in progress, according to officers, and was shot during a struggle.
The suspects, 32-year-old Benicia Knapps and 31-year-old David Guillory, fled in a vehicle after the shooting. They may have tried to steal a phone charger.
Blake Mohs (right) was fatally shot Tuesday at Home Depot in Pleasanton, California, along with his fiancé Kasey Silligman
The loading dock outside Home Depot, where Mohs was shot
According to the suspects’ Facebook pages, they are dating.
The Alameda County coroner later confirmed that the victim died.
Home Depot confirmed to a local news outlet that the deceased man was an employee.
“We are heartbroken over this senseless tragedy. Blake was our companion and friend, and our hearts go out to his family and all who knew and loved him.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office quickly located the suspects’ vehicle and detained them in Oakland at about 2:30 p.m. A firearm was found at a nearby intersection.
More information will be released on Wednesday morning, according to the police, who also say that the investigation is still ongoing.
Mohs was reportedly a Boy Scout leader who was engaged to be married.
Lieutenant Erik Silacci of the Pleasanton Police Department said Knapps had tried to steal an electrical device and was “determined to leave without paying.”
Mohs confronted her and a “physical confrontation” ensues.
Silacci said Knapps then pulled out a pistol and fired fatal shots at Mohs.
California state records show that Knapps is a licensed security guard and has a criminal history involving theft.
Knapps and Guillory have been arrested on suspicion of murder, robbery, child endangerment and conspiracy, according to police.
Knapps’ 2-year-old child was apparently in the car at the time and was released to relatives.
Guillory was booked in Santa Rita jail and Knapps was taken to the hospital and will be taken to jail later.”
According to their Facebook pages, the pair are dating. Both have been arrested
“We are heartbroken over this senseless tragedy. Blake was our companion and friend, and our hearts go out to his family and all who knew and loved him,” Home Depot said in a statement.
Pleasanton police arrested the suspects in Oakland a short time later. The 2-year-old child who was in the car with them has been handed over to family
Mohs and Silligman met while both volunteering with Scouts. They were supposed to get married on August 12 this year
Plesanton’s mayor weighed in on the tragedy on Tuesday, saying, “I am devastated by the loss of Blake Mohs in yesterday’s senseless shooting.”
“Through his service to Tri-Valley organizations, Blake was a model for others. Cutting a life short is heartbreaking and furious.”
A friend of Mohs’, Scott Rodgers, told KTVU that Mohs was loved by everyone and was “an incredible person.”
He said Mohs has volunteered with younger Boy Scouts, having himself reached the rank of Eagle Scout — the highest rank a Scout can earn before turning 18 — in 2014.
Mohs’ wedding website shows that he was to be married on August 12 at the campground where he met his fiancé, Kasey Silligman, while they were both volunteering with the Scouts.
Rasor is seen slowly approaching the suspect and placing a gentle hand on his arm. Surveillance footage shows the suspect, wearing a black Calvin Klein sweatshirt and mask, swinging a powerful arm over the older man’s shoulders, pinning him to the ground as he continued walking
Tuesday’s heartbreaking Home Depot shooting comes several months after an 83-year-old man was fatally shoved at a North Carolina Home Depot when he tried to confront a thief with hundreds of dollars worth of stolen goods.
Authorities shared the shocking footage of a suspect pushing the 83-year-old to the ground as he walked out of the store with a cart of stolen goods.
The victim, Gary Rasor, died of his injuries weeks after the attack.
The suspect, 26-year-old Terry McAnthony McMillian Jr., was apprehended in January and charged with first-degree murder and robbery.