A day after a deadly shooting inside, a 7-Eleven convenience store on French Road in Cheektowaga remained closed Monday as investigators tried to piece together why it happened.
Cheektowaga Police identified Hannah Morse, 23, of Cheektowaga, as the employee who was shot on Sunday around 11:00 a.m. She later died at ECMC.
Travis Zukic, 27, of Cheektowaga, is charged with second-degree murder.
"To have me give the viewers here an explanation as to what happened, I'm at a loss for words," said John Flynn, Erie County district attorney.
Flynn says he's perplexed by this case. It's alleged Zukic walked into 7-Eleven Sunday morning with a shotgun. After forcing several employees into a storage room, Zukic turned the gun on Morse and shot her, Flynn said.
"At this point it doesn't appear to be an armed robbery. It appears like I said to just be a random senseless act of violence," Flynn said.
A co-worker at the store called 911, and there was another customer in the store at some point during the incident, according to Flynn.
As Zukic tried to leave the store, Cheektowaga police showed up and fired a shot at him. Zukic was not hurt and officers arrested him.
Investigators say Zukic did not know the victim nor was he trying to rob the store. Morse had only worked at the store for a short time.
Flynn says those circumstances make this case bizarre.
"Very few times does a stranger walk up to another stranger and shoot them and kill them," he said.
The DA says Zukic does have a history of mental health problems, which could have played a role. A judge could order a psychiatric evaluation to see if Zukic is competent to stand trial and help in his own defense.
"That seems to be the only thing that I can say to myself as to what happened here," Flynn said.
In a statement to Spectrum News, 7-Eleven Inc. wrote:
"Our hearts are with the victim and their family. We are gathering information and working with local law enforcement. The store is currently closed while police complete their investigation."
Zukic is being held without bail in the Erie County Holding Center. He's scheduled to be back in front of a judge in Cheektowaga Town Court Thursday morning.