(Memphis) A family is torn apart after a heartless murder just days before Christmas.
Memphis police have released video of a suspect busting into Lamar Avenue Pawn and Jewelry.
The video shows the man who shot and killed the owner, Virak Hean.
Surveillance video also shows the man shattering a glass case to steal jewelry before escaping in a red car.
A makeshift memorial for Hean now lines the front of the pawn shop.
Friends say he was incredibly loved by the entire community, and some say he was one of the friendliest men they ever knew, and he probably would have given the robber whatever he wanted without a struggle.
“It’s just so close to home, and he was like family, and I’m just devastated,” said Hean’s friend, Marsha Wilson.
Wilson owns the Washhouse across the street.
She’s now locking her laundromat until the killer is caught.
She knew Hean for more than 20 years, but could only watch from a distance as his family grieved and suffered outside the shop yesterday afternoon.
“They don’t think about what they leave on the family. I mean that nice lady and his family, they lost him over whatever. It’s just senseless,” said Hean.
Thursday, the camera that captured Hean’s murder looked out over a shattered glass counter and an empty showroom, now the scene of a crime.
“It’s just sad. This is just senseless. Someone that smiles every day like he does and you turn up the next day and he’s gone,” said customer Kevin Gatewood.
What’s left is a video of Hean’s killer. It’s painful for family and friends to watch, but it also gives them hope the killer will be caught.
If you know this man or see the getaway car, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 528-CASH. You will get reward money for a tip that leads to his arrest.
