The California woman accused of fatally shooting a Home Depot employee who tried to stop her from stealing said she accidentally fired her gun.
Benicia Knapps, 32, is charged with murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in the death of Blake Mohs, 26, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, FOX 2 San Francisco reported.
Mohs was a loss prevention officer at the store.
Knapp’s boyfriend, David Guillory, 31, was the alleged getaway driver after the deadly run-in. He is charged with accessory after the fact and evading police. Both Knapps and Guillory face child endangerment charges.
SOUTH CAROLINA STORE ALLOWS TEENAGE SHOPLIFTERS TO WORK INSTEAD OF PRESSING CHARGES
Benicia Knapps, 32, is charged with killing a Home Depot employee during an attempted theft. (Alameda County Sheriff’s Office)
The shooting unfolded Tuesday in Pleasanton, a suburb of San Francisco.
Authorities said Knapps left the store without paying for some items and was confronted by Mohs and another employee. A struggle ensued between Mohs and Knapps, who managed to wrestle the stolen items away.
Knapps allegedly got a gun from her purse. Mohs and the other Home Depot employee ran back into the store and another struggle between him and Knapps occurred.
She shot him, hitting his chest, authorities said. Knapps retrieved a stolen item and fled in a waiting vehicle, police said. Her 2-year-old daughter was inside the car.
The worker was shot while struggling with shoplifters, witnesses told police. (FOX2 KTVU)
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Knapps is a licensed security guard and has a criminal history involving theft, records show, the news outlet said. Guillory has a pending criminal case in Berkeley, where he is charged with stealing $1,300 in uniforms and jerseys from a soccer store.
