Hemet convenience store clerk killed by bandit
David Lynn Ganns, 60, was stabbed when he confronted two men stealing a case of beer.
A Hemet convenience store clerk known to customers and friends as "Skip" was killed this weekend after he tried to stop two men from stealing a case of beer.
Police said one of the men stabbed David Lynn Ganns, 60, in the chest when he confronted them about the theft shortly after his 11 p.m. shift at the Depot Deli began Saturday night.
Ganns was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Hemet Police Lt. Duane Wisehart said officers knew Ganns because they would often stop at the store on West Florida Avenue when working late shifts.
"We all knew him because he's only a couple blocks from the police station," Wisehart said, adding that Ganns had worked at the store for at least 15 years.
"Over some beer is just ridiculous," he said about the stabbing.
Ganns had been robbed before and one time about seven years ago, Wisehart remembered, was robbed at gunpoint and refused to open the cash register. The robber's gun didn't fire but he used the weapon to hit Ganns in the face and teeth, Wisehart said.
"He had been told time and time again, just let them take it," Wisehart said. "Not a very big guy, but he was tough," he said.
ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
