SHAWNEE, Kan. — Becky Bieker, whose husband Jon was killed in robbery attempt at their store in January 2015 has been trying to keep their business, She’s A Pistol, going in a new location.
But she says the fallout from her husband’s murder has slowly killed the business they built together.
FOX 4’s Shannon O’Brien sat down with Becky Bieker to talk about what is next for her and the business.
This is a heartbreaking story. After her husband was killed, Becky kept the company they built together going as a tribute to her late husband.
She now feels like she has failed, but some would argue that through everything she’s been through, she’s persevered.
“To me it feels like losing Jon a second time,” Becky said.
It was their dream come true. She’s A Pistol LLC started in 2009 with the goal of helping customers find the right method to defend themselves.
In January of 2015, Jon Bieker was defending the store and his wife, after 4 men burst in and robbed them at gunpoint. A shootout ensued, and Jon was shot and killed.
“They took Jon. He was by best friend,” Becky said.
To honor her husband’s memory, she kept going, moving the store to a new location.
“I gave up our original store location because I could not walk through the doors every day,” she explained.
Even with a new start, Becky said she was not expecting the fallout that comes after this type of tragedy.
“Mounting legal fees, the increased labor expenses, things like that. I got behind,” Becky said. “And as you get behind, the late fees and penalties pile up and it creates a vicious cycle that just puts you further and further in debt.”
Those legal fees are for several reasons, including a threat from the man who killed her husband. Bieker says Deanthony Wiley, who was paralyzed in the shootout with Jon was prepared to file a lawsuit against her and the store, claiming he was defending himself when he was injured.
The suit never materialized, but it all took a toll.
“So this is all that’s left. There’s nothing left to try and resuscitate the business. There is just nothing left,” she said. “They have taken Jon who was my home, and the house that we shared. They have taken everything. They’ve taken my business, they have taken my livelihood. I mean, I don’t even know what’s next.”
While Bieker is forced to close the retail store by the end of December, she plans to continue with the training side of She’s A Pistol.
“So the last thing I’ve got is the store, and I know how proud Jon would have been to have the store and to see it today,” she said. “But I also know that he would not want to see me kill myself trying to save something that was already dying.”
Becky Bieker is most concerned about her customers, and she has a very special message for the community that has supported her through this very difficult time.
