Victim Of Pleasanton Home Depot Shooting 'So Very Loved,' Family Says

PLEASANTON, CA — Blake Mohs, the 26-year-old Home Depot employee who police say was fatally shot Tuesday attempting to stop a theft at the store, spent his life doing what he loved most, including working as a camp counselor and leading a church youth group, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser started by his family.

Benicia Knapps, 32, is accused of shooting and killing Mohs after he confronted her in the Pleasanton Home Depot parking lot. Police said Mohs, a loss prevention officer at the store, approached Knapp after she took an item without paying for it.

A struggle ensued, according to police, and at one point, authorities said Knapps took a gun from her purse and shot Mohs at point-blank range.

Mohs' aunt and fundraiser organizer Stacy Trujillo said her nephew lost his life to "senseless gun violence" while "trying to do the right thing and protecting others."

According to the GoFundMe page, Mohs was also a Boy Scouts leader and a Newark police cadet.

"Blake touched so many people's lives in his time here and was so very loved and will be forever remembered and missed," Trujillo wrote on GoFundMe.

Following the shooting, authorities charged Knapps with first-degree murder, child endangerment, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to court documents, Knapps admitted she stole the items and was confronted by loss prevention. She also admitted to being in possession of a gun but reportedly told police she fired it accidentally.

Mohs was taken to Eden Hospital in Castro Valley, where he later died.

Following the shooting, authorities pursued Knapps and 31-year-old David Guillory in a high-speed chase through parts of Castro Valley and Oakland. Guillory eventually drove the car to 7950 Ney Avenue, where he fled on foot into an apartment complex, police said.

Knapps exited the vehicle holding a 21-month-old baby, which police said she was holding during the chase. Knapps was detained without incident, and Guillory was detained about 12 minutes later, according to authorities.

Following his arrest, Guillory was charged with felony reckless evasion, child endangerment, evading an officer by driving opposite to traffic, accessory to robbery, and resisting arrest, court documents indicate.

Both Guillory and Knapps appeared in court Friday for their arraignment.

According to an ABC7 interview with his mother, Mohs loved the Boy Scouts, Disney, his family and his community.

"Just because he's not here right now doesn't mean that all those lives, all the people that he touched aren't going to pass that forward," Lorie Mohs said. "Blake had a short life — only 26 years, but he lived it."

"We lost one of the good ones," his father, Eric, added.