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LOS ANGELES (BFMG) — A Southern California grocery store is facing scrutiny after employees alleged a customer’s body was left in a bakery aisle for hours, concealed with shopping carts and umbrellas, while the store remained open to shoppers.
The incident occurred July 5 at a Vons store in the Granada Hills neighborhood, according to reporting by KCBS-TV.
Authorities said the customer, later identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office as John Lewis, suffered a medical emergency and collapsed inside the store. Employees attempted CPR, but Lewis died at the scene, according to KCBS and People magazine.
Store supervisor Paszion Horner-Smith told KCBS that managers instructed employees not to close the store and instead to shield the body from public view.
“I’m being called by someone in corporate because they’re looking at the cameras, telling me that I need to barricade the body by using carts,” Horner-Smith said.
Horner-Smith said workers used shopping carts and umbrellas to block off the area where Lewis’ body remained.
She also said Lewis’ family was inside the store for approximately four hours while waiting for authorities to remove the body.
“This poor family … can’t even see their loved one. They can’t touch their loved one,” Horner-Smith told KCBS. “They sat in the store for four hours while people continued to shop around their deceased loved one.”
Albertsons, the parent company of Vons, did not immediately respond to KCBS’ request for comment. In a statement provided to People, a spokesperson said the company was cooperating with authorities.
“We are saddened by this tragic situation, and our thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones,” the statement said. “Our team contacted emergency responders and supported first responders as they attended to the medical emergency, as well as local police who remained present. We work closely with emergency responders and law enforcement to evaluate each situation based on the circumstances present.”
It was not immediately clear why the store remained open during the incident or whether any internal policies were followed.
