‘He Was Friends with Everybody’: Neighbors Mourn Beloved Minnesota Grocery Clerk Impaled with Golf Club

A beloved store clerk was killed Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a customer allegedly impaled him with a golf club.

Forty-four-year-old Taylor Justin Schulz has been accused in the case, the New York Post reported Saturday.

A mugshot shows the suspect in the case:

IN CUSTODY on probable cause murder.
Taylor Justin Schulz pic.twitter.com/UM1dZzBEUf

— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) December 9, 2023

The suspect brought his items to the counter inside the Oak Grove Grocery store that afternoon before allegedly driving the golf club into the victim’s chest.

The victim was identified as 66-year-old Robert Skafte. Minneapolis police say the suspect then ran from the scene. Skafte was transported to a hospital where he died.

In the meantime, officials located Schulz in a nearby apartment. However, he barricaded himself inside the dwelling but authorities were eventually able to take him into custody after a six-hour standoff that involved negotiators.

According to the Star Tribune, neighbors have since described the victim as a friendly and familiar face at the local store. The incident has left them devastated:

Update: Neighbors described the victim, 66-year-old Robert Skafte, as a friendly and familiar face at the Oak Grove Grocery for decades, leaving them shocked and saddened at the gruesome crime. https://t.co/oUpiJutJLG

— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) December 9, 2023

Once he was taken into custody, the suspect was booked into jail on probable cause murder, per the Post article.

Video footage shows a memorial neighbors created for the victim:

Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara told KSTP he did not know if the individuals knew each other before the incident.

“We know the victim in this case was very well known to this community,” he stated.

“We know this neighborhood is hurting tonight because of this absolutely horrific crime and just how senseless it was of an elder, who’s so well-known, who has worked in this grocery store here for decades,” O’Hara continued.

The Loring Park neighborhood is grieving longtime Oak Grove Grocery cashier Robert Skafte, 66, who was the victim of a homicide on Friday. https://t.co/RGLuYQwUFU

— KSTP (@KSTP) December 9, 2023

Authorities are still trying to establish a motive in the case. However, neighbor Tony Gutoski claimed Schulz is a “crazy person” who dialed 911 prior to the incident and told officials he wanted to speak with the FBI.

Locals said the victim was a dancer and had deep connections with the theater community.

“He was friends with everybody,” one resident told WCCO.