Owners of Jewelry Store Killed

A husband and wife who owned a jewelry store were fatally shot inside their North Hollywood shop Saturday during what appeared to be a robbery, police said.

The couple, whose names were not released, were found dead about 5:15 p.m. at Elegant Creations, 4219 Lankershim Blvd.

No arrests have been made and police were still trying to make a final determination on the motive for the shooting.

Nobody reported hearing shots, Los Angeles police said.

“We have no suspects and no witnesses,” said LAPD Det. Mike Coffey.

“It appears to be a robbery situation,” said Officer Don Cox.

The jewelry store was burglarized in February, police said.

Police discovered the bodies lying just inside the shop’s front door after responding to a call from two men who were walking along the busy San Fernando Valley street.

The men stopped when they noticed broken glass and two bullet holes in the front door, Cox said. They looked inside and saw what they initially believed were mannequins, police said.

When officers arrived, they saw the man and woman lying nearly feet to feet, face up.

They were shot multiple times, police said.

Lt. Kristie Romero, who arrived at the shop at 5:30 p.m., said she did not know what time the man and woman were killed.

The couple had owned the shop for five years, said Ben Beckler, who rented the building space to them.

The shop is next to a car rental agency in the Toluca Lake business district.

Diane Bush, a regular customer, was eating at a restaurant across the street when she heard about the shootings and came to see what had happened.

“They were from the heart,” she said through tears.

Bush said she and her husband, Jim, had their wedding rings done by the couple and that she planned to bring in her engagement ring to be resized soon.

Lilia Kashirets, who owns the Better Image copy shop behind the store, said she saw the couple earlier Saturday.

“They were so nice,” she said. “Whenever I needed to fix my ring, they would do it for me.”