An employee of Home Depot named Blake Mohs was shot and killed on Tuesday while trying to thwart a theft.
Around 2:15 PM, the police responded to reports about a man bleeding inside the Home Depot on Johnson Drive. Following the shooting, witnesses claimed that the suspects fled the scene riding a car. However, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office eventually captured them around the 7000 block of Ney Avenue in Oakland.
Home Depot released a statement lamenting the devastating incident stating, “Blake was our associate and friend, and our hearts go out to his family and everyone who knew and loved him.”
Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon incident. In October, another Home Depot employee, 83, was fatally pushed to the ground by the suspect during another heinous theft. It is worrisome that these instances are happening more frequently in California.
One factor contributing to the rise in crime is the state’s permissive stance toward shoplifting. 2014 marked the passage of Proposition 47 in California, which changed some nonviolent drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. As a result, theft of items worth at less than $950 is now considered a misdemeanor, frequently ending in neither an arrest nor more than a warning.
Well, since progressives believe this shoplifting is social justice protest, then this killing had to be justifiable homicide.
Home Depot worker fatally shot in California was trying to stop shoplifting, witnesses say https://t.co/x74eW4dkaa #FoxNews— DanielCChamberlain (@DanCham03014042) April 19, 2023
Due to Proposition 47, shoplifting occurrences have increased drastically throughout the state. The lax attitude toward stealing has given criminals more courage, encouraging more blatant instances of larceny and endangering the security of both employees and customers. More and more people are choosing to leave California for safer, less violent places, which has resulted in a mass departure from the state as a result of the crime heightening.
The shooting has particularly upset locals in the Pleasanton region, as such crimes were unusual there. Subho Mukherjee, a local, stated, “I’m scared right now. I can never imagine that in Pleasanton, this kind of thing can happen.”
Some security professionals think employees should never interact with shoplifters, despite the rise in crime and the risks they confront. Employees should “observe and report” thefts rather than attempt to prevent them, according to retired police officer and security consultant Michael Leininger. Employee safety is of the first importance.
It’s time to rethink how California deals with crime and shoplifting as the state mourns the unfortunate death of Blake Mohs. A change in policy is required to safeguard not only the state’s residents and businesses but also the basic foundation of California’s communities.
