Police identify 7-Eleven security guard shot and killed in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The 7-Eleven security guard who was shot and killed while trying to stop someone from stealing from the store last Friday has been identified.

Oakland police identified the shooting victim as 59-year-old James Johnson.

OPD says they were called just before 10:15 p.m. on Friday to the business located in the 2300 block of Harrison Street.

Police say Johnson confronted a shoplifter, who allegedly pulled a gun, and shot and killed him before escaping.

Oakland police say they've made no arrest as their investigation continues.

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A security guard at an Oakland 7-Eleven was shot and killed Friday night while trying to stop someone from stealing from the store.

The suspect is still at large as community leaders call for more accountability.

Co-workers say they're now scared to be at work after Johnson's death inside the store despite the efforts of paramedics.

Those who work at the 7-Eleven told ABC7 News that Johnson lived down the block at a homeless shelter and worked as an unarmed security guard.

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"He was a really nice dude. He begged the people there to get a job there, and they denied him a couple of times 'til they finally let him work," customer Andre Gray said.

Lynette McElhaney served this district on Oakland City council for 8 years and she thinks the escalation in violence correlates with the the lack of a police chief this year.

"Leadership matters and what we say matters, and we really need people to move with urgency and empathy and compassion for the victims of violent crime even as we seek to understand root causes. Unfortunately, I think too often right now in Oakland, we are more ideological than we are committed to resolving issues," she said

The homicide at the 7-Eleven happened across the street from a Whole Foods and adjacent to many neighborhood churches just blocks away from Lake Merritt.

It's the second shooting at a 7-Eleven in Oakland in the last week. A new Chief of Violence Prevention will take the reins this month in Oakland, but no date is set for the appointment of a new police chief.

Bay City News contributed to this report

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