Home Depot worker fatally shot in California was trying to stop shoplifting, witnesses say
Shooting at Home Depot in Pleasanton, California, left an employee dead
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Home Depot employee in California was shot and killed inside the store while trying to stop a theft on Tuesday, authorities said.
Officers responded to calls around 2:15 p.m. of a man bleeding inside the store on Johnson Drive in Pleasanton, the Pleasanton Police Department said in a news release.
Responding officers rendered aid to the victim, who was then rushed to a nearby hospital, police said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Witnesses reported that the victim attempted to stop a theft in progress and was shot during a struggle, according to the department. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle following the shooting.
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The worker was shot while struggling with shoplifters, witnesses told police. (FOX2 KTVU)
The victim later died of his injuries, the Alameda County Coroner confirmed to FOX2 KTVU. The coroner’s office would not release the victim’s age or name.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Home Depot told the station in a statement that the man who was shot and killed was an employee.
Police said the investigation into the shooting was in the early stages and more information would be released later. (FOX2 KTVU)
"We’re heartbroken over this senseless tragedy," the statement said. "Blake was our associate and friend, and our hearts go out to his family and everyone who knew and loved him."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office located the suspects’ vehicle and detained them around 2:30 p.m. near the 7000 block of Ney Avenue in Oakland.
The shooting was reported Tuesday at a Home Depot in Pleasanton. Authorities found and arrested the suspects in Oakland. (FOX2 KTVU)
Police said the investigation remains in the early stages and that more information would be released Wednesday.
In October, another brazen theft at a Home Depot made headlines after authorities shared video of a suspect shoving an 83-year-old employee to the ground as he walked out of the store with stolen goods.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The victim, Gary Rasor, died of his injuries weeks after the assault.
The suspect, 26-year-old Terry McAnthony McMillian Jr., was caught in January and charged with first-degree murder and robbery.