Oak Grove Grocery Employee Fatally Impaled by Customer in Senseless Attack

An Oak Grove Grocery employee tragically lost his life after being impaled with a golf club by a customer. The shocking incident occurred at the Oak Grove Grocery store located in Minneapolis’ Loring Park neighborhood. Robert Skafte, a dedicated grocery associate, was behind the counter when Taylor Justin Schulz, a local resident, approached him with various items and launched a brutal attack, leading to Skafte’s untimely demise.

The Minneapolis Police Department described the crime as senseless and promptly launched an investigation. Skafte was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his injuries caused by blunt trauma from the impalement. The police received information from a witness, which allowed them to locate Schulz at a nearby apartment unit. After a six-hour standoff, involving negotiators, the SWAT team, the drone unit, and the bomb squad, the 44-year-old suspect was arrested without further incident. The motive behind this tragic murder remains unknown.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the victim, Robert Skafte, was a former ballet dancer who had been an integral part of the Oak Grove Grocery team for several decades. The newspaper also quoted a regular customer who spoke to one of the store owners, who expressed uncertainty about when the store would reopen.

The family-owned Oak Grove Grocery paid tribute to their beloved team member through a heartfelt Facebook post. They described Skafte as the heart and soul of their store and the entire Loring Park Community. The post expressed gratitude for the love and support received during this unimaginable tragedy and announced the store’s temporary closure until further notice.

In a separate incident last week, an employee at a Kroger store near Detroit was assaulted by a female customer at the self-checkout area. The clerk suffered a head injury, and the customer was subsequently charged with assault.

Worker and shopper safety has emerged as a pressing concern within the grocery industry. Earlier this year, Axonify, a front-line enablement solution provider, conducted a survey revealing that two in five front-line retail workers experience fear when going to work due to potential volatile customer situations. Furthermore, 33% of respondents reported that their stores had previously encountered violent incidents.