SHAWNEE, Kan. — More than 24 hours after a fatal attempted armed robbery, family and friends are still in disbelief that the selfless man they knew and loved isn’t coming home. Police say Jon Bieker was shot and killed during that armed robbery Friday afternoon.
Bieker was working inside the gun store he owned. That’s when police say four men rushed in and killed him.
Fox 4 spoke with Jon’s wife Becky over the phone.
She was inside the store when all of this happened and obviously is devastated. Becky couldn’t do an interview, but introduced FOX 4 to a close friend that spoke for the family.
“It’s kind of tough… anyway,” said Wally Borth.
Borth fought the tears, as he told FOX 4’s Megan Brilley about his close friends, Jon and Becky Bieker.
“The type of people that they are, people just gravitated towards them. It became one of those things, they were the type of people you needed to go talk to and wanted to get to know them,” Borth said.
Being known as one of the most giving couples in town held true to their passion. Becky had the idea to open a gun store, hoping to teach self-defense to those who felt defenseless.
“Jon being the fantastic person he was, made sure this dream happened for her,” Borth said.
But now, their dream sits beyond yellow crime scene tape. A store once filled with hope, now a bloody crime scene ridden with bullet holes and shattered glass.
“You hope that when that buzzer rings that someone is going to come in and buy something so you can pay for your bills, you don’t hope for this. You never expect somebody’s gonna come in and take your life,” Borth said.
Jon and Becky were inside the store when police say four men ran in and attempted to rob them. Police say one of the suspects punched Becky in the face and at some point gunfire was exchanged. Jon was shot and died from his injuries.
Investigators haven’t said who fired first, but friends say they have a good idea of what happened.
“They came in and he came in from the back probably to protect his wife and his store and he lost his life doing it,” Borth said.
In the very space the two created to help the defenseless fight back.
“They care so much and are such genuinely good people that they want to teach you, someone they don’t even know, the proper way to protect yourself against this very instance that just happened to them,” Borth said.
Shortly after the shooting, people started showing up with candles, praying, eyes filled with tears.
“I’ll bet you most of those people down there didn’t even know who he was. They were probably customers that came in and out of their store. I would imagine that he has touched people beyond what me and you will know,” Borth said.
Borth says Jon will be remembered as a giving, selfless man who loved his wife and his community, a man he says will be missed dearly by family, friends and strangers alike.
