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A CVS store manager was killed on the job by a man suspected of shoplifting, police say — the latest example of a US retail theft epidemic that is becoming increasingly deadly.

Michael Jacobs, 49 — an operations manager at CVS Pharmacy in Mesa, Ariz., where he had worked for the past 20-plus years — was shot and killed allegedly by Jared Sevey in the evening hours of Sept. 7, according to KKTV 11 News.

Sevey, 39, was reportedly inside the Arizona CVS location earlier that day, arguing with Jacobs about shoplifting, KKTV reported. After the conflict, Sevey went home to get a gun.

Sevey admitted to police that he shot Jacobs because he was “tired of being bullied,” and “this was the last straw,” according to the news outlet.

The Post has sought comment from CVS, which has already resorted to installing built-in locks on freezer doors and putting padlocks around necessities like deodorant and toothbrushes at its locations in major US cities.

Jacobs left behind two children and his wife of 23 years, Stacy. Jacobs’ family has started a GoFundMe page, saying that “CVS has not even reached out to us to discuss medical expenses along with funeral expenses.” The GoFundMe has already collected over 200 donations totaling $15,402.

It’s the latest incident in a lethal trend. In April, a 26-year-old Home Depot employee was fatally shot after confronting a woman attempting to steal from the home improvement retailer’s Pleasanton store, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to KKTV.

Just days earlier, a pregnant shoplifter at a Walgreens in Nashville was shot by a staffer following a confrontation over stolen merchandise that resulted in an exchange of Mace and bullets. The wounded mother-to-be was rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency C-section, saving the baby and 24-year-old mother’s life.

The Walgreens worker was later charged by the Davidson County District Attorneys Office with aggravated assault, but a grand jury declined to indict him earlier this week. The new mother, meanwhile, was indicted for theft and assault.  

Representatives for Home Depot and Walgreens didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Stories of seemingly consequence-free shoplifting are everywhere: There’s an epidemic of drugstore thefts in New York, and a landmark grocery store in Baltimore shut its doors after nearly 25 years after a community desperate for fresh food resorted to simply stealing it.

Experts have blamed the surge on lax policies — including the passage of Prop 47 in California, which reduced theft from a potential felony to a misdemeanor — as well as calls to defund the police in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, which resulted in a mass exodus of cops nationwide.

In New York City, dubbed a “shoplifter’s paradise” by some fed-up local politicians, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has faced blowback over his not requesting bail for some repeat shoplifting suspects. Bragg also has refused to bust thieves unless they pilfer items exceeding $1,000 in value, which is when theft becomes a felony.

A furor erupted in July after CVS worker Scotty Enoe, 46, fatally knifed Charles Brito after the 50-year-old serial thief punched him. Can Alvin Bragg maybe help with that?” fumed City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island). “He just chooses not to prosecute and we end up with vigilante justice.”

With no nationwide policy on how to deal with shoplifting, many employers have encouraged staffers to do nothing at all in an effort to keep them out of harm’s way.

Lululemon became notorious for its hands-off policy after the athletic gear company axed two employees who called the police while three masked men robbed a Georgia outpost.

The company cited its zero-tolerance policy for intervening in a robbery as a reason for firing the workers, whom Lululemon refers to as “educators.”

A Walmart in Atlanta, meanwhile, will be installing a police workspace inside the store when it opens in May. The grocery store and pharmacy previously closed after it was set on fire by suspected arsonists.

The shoplifting epidemic cost retailers nearly $100 billion in 2021, and the number of shoplifting complaints surged to more than 63,000 last year — a 45% jump over the roughly 45,000 reported in 2021 and a nearly 275% jump compared to the mid-2000s, police statistics show.

Now, Bragg in New York is reportedly working to snuff out shoplifting by going after repeat offenders. Part of his plan includes focused deterrence, meaning pre-trial detention will be requested for accused thieves who have prior felony convictions, multiple open cases and a history of skipping out on court dates.

New York also has implemented an initiative dubbed the Merchants Business Improvement Program, which allows business owners to get restraining orders against suspects who repeatedly come into their stores and steal or harass workers, officials said last month.

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Donald Trump denies posting AI image of himself as pope

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Donald Trump denies posting AI image of himself as pope

Donald Trump has denied posting an AI image of himself as pope – and said Catholics who were offended “can’t take a joke”.

A picture of the president wearing white and gold robes in the style of a pontiff was posted to his account on Truth Social and caused outcry among some Christians.

“I had nothing to do with it, somebody made a picture of me dressed like the Pope and they put it out on the internet,” he said on Monday.

“That’s not me that did it, I’ve got no idea where it came from, maybe it was AI.”

When it was pointed out to him that some Catholics were offended by the image, he replied: “Oh, they can’t take a joke.”

“The Catholics loved it,” he also claimed.

Pic: Donald Trump/Truth Social
Image:
Pic: Donald Trump/Truth Social

President Trump insisted that he first saw the image – which was posted on Friday night on his Truth Social account and later promoted by the White House on its official X account – on Sunday evening.

He also noted that first lady Melania Trump “thought it was cute”.

President Trump was not baptised as a Catholic and therefore is ineligible to be pope, neither is he allowed to participate in the conclave.

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Some 133 cardinal electors – those under the age of 80 – will take part in the conclave and begin voting for the new pontiff on Wednesday after the death of Pope Francis last month.

The rituals of the event, held in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, are elaborate and date back centuries.

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Two motorbike racers killed in 11-bike crash during British Supersport race at Oulton Park

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Two motorbike racers killed in 11-bike crash during British Supersport race at Oulton Park

Two motorcycle racers have died after a crash involving 11 bikes during a British Supersport Championship race at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

Owen Jenner, 21, was treated trackside and taken to the circuit’s medical centre, but organisers said he died from a “catastrophic head injury”.

Shane Richardson, 29, sustained severe chest injuries and was also given treatment at the scene.

He was transferred to Royal Stoke University Hospital but died before he arrived.

A third rider, Tom Tunstall, 47, is at the same hospital with what organisers called “significant back and abdominal injuries”.

Five others from the British Supersport race were taken to the track’s medical centre but didn’t need hospital treatment.

Motorsport Vision Racing, which runs the race series, said the crash happened on the first lap as riders exited turn one at Old Hall corner.

It said there was a “chain reaction” with 11 riders coming off their bikes.

“Due to the extreme severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled,” organisers said in a statement.

Cheshire Police said they were investigating two deaths on behalf of the coroner.

“The Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board and MotorSport Vision Racing are investigating the full circumstances of the incident in conjunction with the Coroner and Cheshire Police,” the force said in a statement.

Jenner, from Crowborough, East Sussex, was the 2024 British GP2 champion and was signed to Rapid Honda.

New Zealand superbike racer Richardson was in the Astro JJR HIPPO Suzuki team sponsored by Hippo waste removal service.

Brady Dyer, a councillor in New Zealand’s Lower Hutt city, paid tribute to Richardson on Facebook saying he was a “talented” rider.

“My thoughts are with the family and friends of Shane Richardson, a talented Kiwi rider who tragically lost his life while doing what he loved.

“Shane was proud to be from Wainuiomata and was admired both locally and abroad for his skill and passion.

“This is a heartbreaking loss, and I know many in our community will be feeling it deeply.”

Harley McCabe paid tribute to Jenner as he said in a Facebook post: “Today I lost my team mate [heartbreak emoji], words cant explain how I feel right, now I’m absolutely devastated that I won’t see your smile again.

“You have been there for me over the years and been an amazing team mate and turned into more of an older brother to me!

“The awning will never be the same, we’ve lost a massive part of us all today.”

Mr McCabe added: “Sending love to Owen’s family and friends.”

The British Supersport Championship features 600cc machines and is the main support class to the blue riband professional British Superbikes series.

The Oulton Park event was the opening round of this year’s championship, which takes place at circuits around the UK.

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Both riders had posted on social media in recent days about looking forward to this weekend’s races

Jenner was also a superstock champion in 2020 and 2023, and won last year’s GP2 title with 18 wins out of 20 race finishes. After, he signed with British superbike team Rapid Honda.

Richardson, a father-of-two, worked as a part-time test rider for Triumph, according to his social media.

According to his team, Astro JJR Hippo Suzuki, he previously had a business crafting bespoke kitchens before moving into “competing on the UK’s premier racing circuits”.

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Man charged after British student nurse stabbed to death in Texas ‘following fight over cat’

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Man charged after British student nurse stabbed to death in Texas 'following fight over cat'

A man has been charged after a British student nurse was stabbed to death in Texas days before she was due to graduate, according to reports in the US.

Elizabeth Tamilore Odunsi, also known as Tamilore Odunsi, was found dead by police at her home in Houston shortly before 4pm local time on Saturday 26 April, Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports.

Officers had arrived to conduct a welfare check but when they knocked on the door there was no answer.

They saw blood on a rear concrete patio and entered the apartment, where they found the 23-year-old on the kitchen floor with multiple stab wounds.

Ms Odunsi, who is reported to be originally from London, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chester Lamar Grant: Pic: Houston Police Department
Image:
Chester Lamar Grant: Pic: Houston Police Department

A man, later identified as her roommate Chester Lamar Grant, was found in a bedroom with at least one stab wound and was taken to hospital in a critical condition, police said.

The 40-year-old was arrested on Friday 2 May and has been charged with Ms Odunsi’s murder.

He currently remains in custody at Harris County Jail in Texas with a bond set at $500,000 (around £375,000).

A magistrate has said in a preliminary hearing that the roommates had been involved in a fight over Grant’s cat, according to ABC News.

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Ms Odunsi had a TikTok account, Tamidollars, with more than 44,000 followers, where she posted about her life as a student at Texas Woman’s University.

A GoFundMe page set up to bring Ms Odunsi’s body back to the UK for burial had received more than £63,000 in donations as of 3am UK time on Tuesday.

In a statement on the GoFundMe page, her sister Georgina Odunsi writes: “Tami was a beautiful soul, full of light, ambition, and kindness… She moved from the UK to the United States to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse, dedicating herself to a life of care and service.”

She continues: “Tragically, Tami was brutally murdered just days before she was set to graduate from university – an unimaginable loss at a moment that should have marked the beginning of a bright and promising future.”

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