Security guard shot and killed at Oakland 7-Eleven was transitioning out of homelessness

OAKLAND, Calif. - Co-workers of a security guard shot and killed at a 7-Eleven store in Oakland last week say he was like family to them. We've also learned the victim, James Johnson, 59, was transitioning out of homelessness. 

Co-workers say friends and neighbors are saying they are shocked by the killing and that they want the person responsible caught and held responsible. 

Surveillance video obtained by KTVU shows Johnson by the front door of the 7-Eleven near Lake Merritt in Oakland. There appears to be a brief exchange between him and a man dressed in dark clothing. Johnson throws an object at the man. The suspect then shoots Johnson and runs out the door. 

"It shouldn't have happened like that. He should have never died. He should have never left us," said Moe Hall, a friend and former co-worker. 

It happened on a Friday night shortly after 10 o'clock. A worker told KTVU the store has been robbed repeatedly, but this is the first time he recalls someone being killed. He said he regarded Johnson as a family member. 

Another co-worker we spoke with did not want to show his identity on camera. 

"I was in a state of shock. He was the best person I ever met. He used to be our customer…everyday customer. One day he stopped somebody stealing the beer."

From there, he started working as a security guard for the store. He had been on the job for about a year and a half. 

"He wasn't just like a worker. He was like a brother. My big brother. He was like family to us," the unidentified co-worker said. 

Johnson lived around the corner from the store at Lake Merritt Lodge. It offers transitional housing for people while waiting for permanent housing. 

"He was like a big teddy bear, kind of. He was a big guy," said Woody Wilcox, a neighbor and friend at Lake Merritt Lodge. "I was shocked and saddened truly. I was taken [aback] to hear the tragic news."

A still image shows the suspect dressed in all dark clothing with some sort of logo. He was wearing a mask. He was seen getting into a red four-door sedan with a driver inside. 

The worker said Johnson was unarmed. He was shot twice and that the thief got away with about $6 worth of candy. 

Now Johnson's co-workers have started a memorial outside the store and they're trying to raise money for funeral expenses. 

"He shouldn't have even pulled the gun out. Unarmed security. I hope they catch him," said Hall. 

Before the killing, workers said the store closed at 11 p.m. Due to safety concerns, they now close when it gets dark. 

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