Las Vegan Carolyn Jones showed up at Smith’s in the southern Las Vegas Valley on Wednesday morning with more than grocery shopping on her mind.
Jones, a regular customer for a quarter century at the store on Maryland Parkway at Silverado Ranch Boulevard, expressed her support for workers at the store who endured a tragedy: the killings of two of their co-workers, Amanda Frias Rosas, 40, and Victor Frias Rosas, 43, inside the business on May 12.
“They were good people. Good-hearted people,” Jones said in the parking lot. “Every time I came to the store, they always gave me good courtesy.
“You just pray to God that the families can heal and the people who work here can get healing from all of this,” Jones said. “It is tragic. I am always going to shop here because I am a loyal customer. I’ve been here 25 years. I am not going to stop shopping because of this incident. You want to show love to the workers.”
Jones was one of the first customers to frequent the Smith’s after it reopened for the first time since the shooting. A memorial of flowers and candles continued to grow in a front foyer of the store. Multiple employees declined to comment on returning to work, but customers made it known they were supporting them on the journey of recovery.
“I am glad they are reopened,” Tony Marovitz said. “I feel bad for the employees. It must have been really traumatic to go through. I am hoping that anybody who needed any type of therapy was able to get it and they are recovering from this. I know if my two close friends were shot, I’d be devastated.”
Husband and wife David and Dana Dennis have shopped at various Smith’s locations for nearly 15 years, including the store on Maryland.
“It’s crazy the stuff that happens today,” David Dennis said. “As I told (Dana), you’ve got to move on. You’ve got to live your life and not worry about something like this happening. It is so sad.”
The couple wanted to show their support, Dana Dennis said, by continuing to shop at Smith’s, adding the store looked brand new inside.
“Everything is so nice and clean and stocked,” she said. “Everyone was so nice saying hello. It’s not like it’s not like that all the time but it’s a little bit better today.”
Alejandro Estrada, has been charged with murder and multiple other felonies in the killings.
Authorities have said Estrada had two children with Amanda Frias Rosas.
According to police, Estrada admitted to the killings, saying that the woman was “ruining his life” by making him pay child support.
The store closed after the shooting, allowing employees to grieve over their loss, Smith’s spokesperson Tina Murray said in a recent email.
“Our deep condolences go to all who’ve been affected by this senseless act of violence,” Murray said. “We’ll continue to support our associates as they return to work at this and other Smith’s locations.”
The store was cleaned and repainted, and products are being replenished, Murray added.
“The safety of our associates and customers remains in focus as a core value as we reopen to serve the community,” Murray said.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
