On Friday, December 8 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a neighborhood grocery store clerk was fatally wounded in an unprovoked assault by a customer. 

The victim, 66-year-old Robert Skafte, was attacked at Oak Grove Grocery, a small store located near downtown Minneapolis.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department, at about 1 p.m., 44-year-old Taylor Justin Schulz brought several items to the checkout counter before launching the attack. Schulz used a golf club to impale Skafte through the torso before fleeing the scene.

Neighbor Tony Gutoski, who entered the store shortly after the incident, found Skafte conscious and communicative despite his severe injuries. Skafte was able to describe the assailant to Gutoski, who relayed this information to authorities.

Emergency services transported Skafte to a nearby hospital, but he later succumbed to his injuries. 

Skafte was a well-known figure in the neighborhood and had a background in dance, performing with various dance companies including Ballet of the Dolls.

In the aftermath of the attack, Schulz barricaded himself in an apartment across the street from the grocery store. After a six-hour standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team, a drone unit, and a bomb squad, Schulz was taken into custody. He was subsequently booked in the Hennepin County Jail on probable cause murder.

Gutoski, the neighbor, described Schulz as unstable, noting that he had made a bizarre call to 911 demanding to speak with the FBI prior to the incident.

Following the incident, a memorial with candles, flowers, and photos was set up outside the grocery store in honor of Skafte. His contributions to the local theater community and his kind nature were fondly remembered by neighbors and friends.

Skafte’s dance career included training at the Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica, California, and a stint with the Kansas City Ballet. After retiring from dance, Skafte worked at Oak Grove Grocery, where he became a familiar and beloved figure in the neighborhood.

The Minneapolis police are continuing their investigation into Skafte’s death. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has not yet filed formal charges in the case.