Rite Aid employee in California killed after confronting shoplifters

[left-of-center2012]

A Rite Aid drugstore employee was fatally shot Thursday night when he confronted two people suspected of shoplifting at the Glassell Park, CA, store, according to police. The shooting occurred about 8:50 p.m. when two men tried to leave the store with unpaid merchandise and were stopped by the employee, Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Mike Lopez said.

During the confrontation, one the men shot the employee with a handgun, said Lopez. Both suspects then ran. The employee, whose name has not been released by authorities, was pronounced dead at the scene. Lopez said the suspects are not in custody.

Kathy Finn, the secretary-treasurer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770, said the employee had worked at the store for more than a year. In a statement, the union said Rite Aid had refused to provide adequate security for its employees and that “the Company placed profit over safety and refused security for its employees.”

Rite Aid spokesperson Chris Savarese did not respond to a request for comment on the union’s claims. He said that the company was “shocked and saddened by the killing of a valued associate at our store in Glassell Park. Rite Aid will offer support to the associate’s family and is offering other associates at that location support and counseling,” he said in a statement.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-16/la-me-rite-aid-employee-killed

[Blue Owl]

1. Lock those murdering shoplifters up for life

[LiberatedUSA]

2. The gun ups it to robbery.

The shooting to robbery and murder.

[malaise]

5. This is madness

Throw away the key

[jimfields33]

3. And that's why some stores won't allow employees to stop shoplifters

Some stores will fire an employee if they do. Now I can understand the rule a bit more.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Even If Not Killed...

...a few shoplifters could really hurt an employee.
It's a safety risk a store shouldn't take, as they ARE responsible for the workers' safety on the job.
And, how much would the lifted goods be worth? Certainly not enough to risk an employee's life or health.

[elias7]

4. Good thing we have strong gun laws

[tenderfoot]

6. I'm just glad there's more guns on the street. An armed society is a polite society.

With love,

The NRA/every gun nutter on Earth.

[chowder66]

7. How awful for the victim and his/her family. I hope they find these murderers asap. nt

[Treefrog]

8. What in the hell is up with California and these shoplifting stories?

Sounds like the Wild West out there.

[Initech]

9. Good thing there was a good guy with a gun present.

[cinematicdiversions]

11. Maybe they should outlaw shoplifting????

Where I live you can easily pull a year in county for stealing from a store. And guess what there is a lot less shoplifting and associated violence.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. Murder too, while they're at it.