Murder Shocks Customers, But Won't Stop Them From Shopping

Flower bouquets rest at the doorway of in the Bridgewater Towne Centre, a reminder of Monday’s reported in the store that claimed the life of the owner.

And as the store remains close while the investigation into the crime continues, patrons and workers of nearby stores have said that, as horrible as the incident was, they have to go on with their days.

“I came to with the county transport, and one lady said she would not come because of what happened,” Bedminster resident Rose Maffa said. “And I said, what does that have to do with Wegmans?”

For Maffa, although it was a terrible crime at the jewelry store, she could not stop going about her daily business.

“Sometimes people come from out of town to commit crimes,” she said. “And you usually don’t hear about this kind of thing happening, but I wouldn’t stop coming here.”

At about 4:45 p.m. Monday, a man authorities identified Tuesday as Bridgewater resident Michael Koury, 19, entered the jewelry store and, in an attempt to rob the store, shot and killed the store owner Roy DeVoe before turning the gun on himself, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

No one else was injured in the incident.

Brad—an assistant manager at the GameStop two doors down from the jewelry store, who declined to give his last name—said he was working when the crime happened, but didn’t know about it until another customer came into the store.

“The customer came in and asked what happened,” he said. “And the cops were pouring in to a quarantined area.”

When he returned to the store this morning, Brad said, he was not worried about going to work, but just wasn’t sure if the area would still be roped off.

Still, Brad said, the idea of this kind of crime happening in this area was a shock to him.

“It’s so random because it’s Bridgewater,” he said. “The worst that has happened is a kid stealing food from Wegmans.”

And for many locals, even those who filled Wegmans Tuesday for their regular shopping, the fact that this kind of crime happened in Bridgewater was initially a shock.

“This is the last place I would expect this to happen,” said Bridgewater resident Chris Laputka, who lives near the shopping center. “I wouldn’t expect it to happen here.”

Laputka said she was concerned when she heard about the incident, particularly because there was not a great deal of information about the shooter at the time.

“We didn’t know if he had escaped or anything,” she said. “But I found out this morning, and I have no qualms about coming to the area today. Things happen, and you just have to go on.”

And for Laputka, she knows that these kinds of things can happen anywhere.

“But you can’t stop your life because of it,” she said.

Basking Ridge resident Richard Cohen agreed that people cannot stop their lives because there is a chance that something bad might happen.

“Things are nuts all over, and you can’t live worried about everything,” he said. “You just go on with your day. You could be sitting at home, and someone can barge in.”

Brad said the GameStop has its own security system that it uses with a locked door and burglar alarm to try to keep workers and customers safe.

“But there’s nothing we can really do,” he said. “If we take security to the extreme, we have to go all the way.”