Santa Ana : Police Identify Clerk Slain in Market Holdup

Police identified a young store clerk who was killed in a convenience market robbery Monday as Jose Luis Banda of Santa Ana.

Spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said investigators were uncertain if Banda lived with anyone in Santa Ana. Most of Banda’s relatives resided in Mexico, Thomas said.

The 22-year-old was killed Monday afternoon when he peeked out of a stockroom during a robbery and was shot in the head at the Lucky Center Market. A gunman had entered the grocery store at 3502 W. 5th St. and demanded money from the store owner, police said.

As the owner complied, Banda stuck his head out of the stockroom, about 30 to 40 feet away. The gunman fired one shot, hitting Banda in the head and killing him instantly, police said.

Yong Kim, another employee at the store, said Banda had been working the evening shift there for 3 months. “I didn’t know him well, but he seemed like a happy person,” Kim said.