Earlier this week, a 26-year-old hardware store employee was fatally shot after a shoplifter armed with a handgun opened fire in the California Home Depot.
The Pleasanton Police Department shared in a press release that the shooting occurred at around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday at the San Francisco Bay Area store.
The victim in the shooting was the Home Depot’s loss prevention employee, Blake Mohs, who was attempting to “stop a theft in process when a struggle ensued,” the department shared.
Mohs, who was unarmed, attempted to stop the female suspect allegedly trying to steal an electrical item when she “resisted and shot him.” Mohs was critically injured by the shooting and eventually died from his injuries.
The Pleasanton Police Department held a press conference on Wednesday, sharing more information on the shooting. Police shared that they caught up with the suspect, 32-year-old Benicia Knapps, and her accomplice, 31-year-old David Guillory, who fled the scene after the shooting.
Police also noted that her 2-year-old child was inside the getaway car, being driven by Guillory. The child has since been reunited with relatives.
The suspects were detained in Oakland by deputies with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Police also shared that the firearm, believed to be used in Mohs’s death, was recovered at a nearby intersection.
Guillory and Knapps are now facing multiple charges for their roles in the slaying. Court records show Guillory is facing obstruction, evading a police officer, and child abuse charges, while Knapps faces charges of murder, robbery, child endangerment, and conspiracy, KTVU reported.
Pleasanton Lt. Erik Silacci, who spoke during the press conference on Wednesday, said that additional charges would be considered.
Police shared that Mohs was a Tri-Valley resident who was planning on getting married this summer.
“Blake’s life was cut short by this senseless act of violence that started as a theft and turned into a robbery and ended in his murder,” Pleasanton Lt. Erik Silacci said during the conference.
Home Depot released a statement on the shooting, saying that the company is “heartbroken over this senseless tragedy.”
“Blake was our associate and friend, and our hearts go out to his family and everyone who knew and loved him,” the statement said.
“To have a life cut short is heartbreaking and infuriating,” Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown said in a statement. “I’m joined by the City Council in offering our deepest condolences to Blake’s family, friends, loved ones, and everyone impacted by this tragedy.”
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