VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) - A 20-year-old toy store employee was shot and killed by police after he and two accomplices tied up workers during an after-hours robbery at a Toys "R" Us store, police said.
The break-in occurred shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday night. The three intruders tied up several employees and were attempting to rob the store when police were notified, according Lt. Lori Lee of the Vallejo Police Department.
Two suspects were immediately arrested, but Fonotaga "Junior" Tili fled through the parking lot, attempted to carjack a vehicle and continued running across a major street and into a residential neighborhood, Lee said.
Officers shot Tili several times. He was airlifted to the John Muir Medical Center where he later died, Lee said.
"I think our officers did an outstanding job," Lee said. "It is our job to apprehend crooks, especially armed ones that harm people. They jeopardized a lot of people's lives."
Tili, who worked at the store since December, was off-duty at the time of the break-in but had planned the robbery for some time, Lee said.
The other two suspects were Fred Feleki Martinez, a 27-year-old parolee, and Dailey Levelle Sparks, 19. They were booked for Tili's murder. Under the felony-murder rule, deaths during certain crimes can be pinned on accomplices even if they did not actually kill the victim.
None of the employees were hurt during the incident, Lee said.
A Toys "R" Us spokeswoman also refused to comment Wednesday, saying only the New Jersey-based company was cooperating with police.
