Armed robber takes life of Surf City teen

Andrew Edwards

The 99 Cents Only Store on Beach Boulevard did not open for business

on Friday morning. It’s entrance was blocked by yellow caution tape

and two police officers standing guard.

A burst of violence turned the discount store into a crime scene

the night before. And the store lost much more than money. Shawna

Wolfgram, a 19-year-old store clerk, was shot and killed by an armed

robber.

Candles and flowers were placed as a memorial in front of her A

Street home.

“I just wish she was still here,” her fiancee, Ray Edwards said.

“She’s missed a great deal around here. Times like this, she’d be the

person to cheer everybody up.”

Wolfgram grew up across the street from Edwards in Huntington

Beach. He remembered her as having a crush on him for a couple of

years before they began seeing each other after her 18th birthday.

“She was really in love with him,” said Willie Schoggins, a friend

of the family who lives in Huntington Beach.

The two were engaged but had not set a wedding date, he said.

“We were probably just going to go to Vegas and get married,”

Edwards said.

Her grandmother, Rita Strong, dropped her off at work at about 4

p.m. Jan 29. Before Wolfgram started her shift, her grandmother

suggested a spring camping trip near the Kern River.

“Her last comment was ‘Oh wow, that’ll be so much fun. I’ve never

been on a camping trip’,” Strong said.

Police believe Wolfgram was murdered at around 6:20 p.m. Jan. 29

by an armed man who demanded money from the register after entering

the store in the 16600 block of Beach Boulevard.

“I don’t see why he would shoot her,” said Michael Strong,

Wolfgram’s uncle and a Huntington Beach resident.

Another memorial was set up in front of the store. Several candles

in glass jars bearing images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and angels

were arranged to form a heart around flowers just outside of the

store’s entrance. A poster with pictures of Wolfgram as a child and a

young woman was displayed. Alongside the pictures, a short poem was

written to honor her memory.

“Your life was just beginning/Our love for you will forever be/Our

memories are a blessing./We love you and miss you,” the poem read.

It was her first job, and she had only worked at the store for

about five months, her uncle said.

Her grandmother went shopping with her after she earned her first

paycheck. After a small spending spree, which included a green

Scorpio shirt she bought because of Edwards’ Zodiac sign, Rita Strong

recalled Wolfgram saying, “Nana, I don’t think that I’m very good

with money.”

Rita Strong said the line was a good example of Wolfgram’s sense

of humor, which she was well known for.

“She’s the life of the party,” Edwards said. “She always knew how

to make you feel good.”

But along with the good times, Wolfgram’s life had its share of

hardship, including the loss of her own child. About two years ago,

Wolfgram’s daughter, Cameron, succumbed to sudden infant death

syndrome, Rita Strong said.

“That was very emotionally draining on all of us,” Rita Strong

said. “The baby was only 2 months old.”

Wolfgram also fought a battle with diabetes that required her to

take four injections of insulin every day.

“She’s pretty tough,” Michael Strong said.

Tragically, Wolfgram’s toughness could not protect her. After what

police described as a “confrontation” with Wolfgram, her assailant

shot her and escaped with an unknown amount of money. He reportedly

fled north on foot.

Wolfgram died of her wounds at the store. Several employees and

customers were inside the store at the time of the murder, but no

other injuries were reported.

Police have released a composite drawing of the suspect after

interviewing witnesses. He is described as a white man with graying

hair and a mustache, between 40 and 50 years old, 6-foot-2 and 150 to

170 pounds. He reportedly wore a dark watch cap and jeans.

In addition to eyewitness reports, detectives are examining

footage recorded by security cameras.

Investigators are still reviewing the surveillance tapes,

Huntington Beach Police Lt. Janet Perez said.

Police have not yet decided whether the crime is linked to any

other local robberies.

“It doesn’t seem to be linked to any of the others,” Perez said.

The chain is offering a $25,000 reward for any information that

leads to a conviction of Wolfgram’s killer.

“We just really want to catch this guy and make sure this never

happens to anyone else,” said Janice Ventura, a human resources

manager at the 99 Cents Only Store’s corporate office.

The murder was the first time an employee of the chain had been

killed on the job, and the company has made a counselor available to

Wolfgram’s co-workers, Ventura said.

“All the employees are in shock. Everyone’s in shock,” Ventura

said.

As police search for the suspect, Wolfgram’s relatives and friends

hope justice will be served.

“I hope they catch that coward,” Schoggins said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers education and crime. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7177, (949) 494-4321 or andrew.edwards@latimes.com.