A 26-year-old Home Depot employee in Pleasanton was fatally shot this week when he confronted a shoplifter inside the hardware store, according to Alameda County officials.
Blake Mohs, 26, who worked as a “loss prevention employee” at the store, got into a struggle with suspect Benicia Knapps shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday when he was shot as he tried to stop her from stealing, Pleasanton police said.
Knapps, 32, then fled the scene with another suspect and her child in a getaway vehicle, police said in a news release. Knapps and the driver, David Guillory, 31, were arrested a short time later by Alameda County sheriff’s deputies.
Officers provided aid to Mohs at the scene, authorities said. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The gun used in the shooting was recovered at a nearby intersection, police said.
Mohs was a Tri-Valley resident who worked in community youth programs and planned to get married this summer, authorities said, He is survived by his parents, brother and fiancee.
Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown called Moh’s death the result of a “senseless shooting.”
“Through his service to Tri-Valley organizations, Blake was a model for others,” Brown said in a written statement. “To have a life cut short is heartbreaking and infuriating. I’m joined by the City Council in offering our deepest condolences to Blake’s family, friends, loved ones, and to everyone impacted by this tragedy.”
