Community members in the Petworth area are remembering a beloved local store

Community members in the Petworth area are remembering a beloved local store owner after a deadly attack on July 4th.

76-year-old James Oh and his wife were inside the Gold Corner store along Colorado Avenue in Northwest D.C. at around 5 p.m. when two masked men stormed in.

One of them, according to D.C. Police, was armed with a gun. No shots were fired, but surveillance video shows one suspect brutally beating Oh while the other shoves the store owner’s wife to the ground and then goes for the cash register. In a matter of minutes, they were out the door, taking off in a stolen Jeep which was later recovered by police.

Oh died Tuesday at the hospital. His wife was treated for injuries and released.

Family members say the couple owned the store for more than 20 years. They clearly have had a big impact on patrons because a steady stream of community members have been stopping by, leaving flowers, candles and cars at a growing storefront memorial. The shop has remained closed since the attack.

Police released the surveillance video in hopes that anyone with information about the suspects will come forward.

“Maybe they saw these guys at some point without their masks on and link them, put two and two together,” said Criminal Investigations Unit Commander George Kucik.

He continued, “Maybe someone heard them talking about this bragging about it. We’re just putting it out there in hopes of getting some information that would help us identify who these guys are.”

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone who can identify these individuals, has information regarding the stolen Jeep or who has knowledge of this incident is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.