Convenience store worker dies after ‘manager sat on and suffocated her'
Jessica McLaughlin, 24, walked into work at a convenience store in Los Angeles on June 24 'expecting a normal day' but was 'violently and senselessly attacked by one of her managers', her brother said in a GoFundMe page for her.
The assistant manager 'held her down, sat on top of her, and didn't let her breathe,' wrote Sean McLaughlin.
'While some coworkers tried to help and stop it, they were attacked too. When she finally got free, she collapsed. She wasn't breathing.'
Jessica's co-workers performed CPR on her and called for help.
'Meanwhile, the manager ran to the back room to try and delete the security footage,' Sean claimed.
Officers responded to the 7-Eleven on the 5700 block of Melrose Avenue in Hollywood around 2.15pm and found Jessica unconscious on the floor and with serious injuries, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The manager had already fled on a bicycle, and no arrests have been made.
Jessica was rushed to a hospital, where she was placed on life support and kept alive for the past few days. Her family, boyfriend and friends stayed by her side at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital and prayed for a miracle, but she was declared clinically dead.
'But the damage from the lack of oxygen was too much. Her brain had stopped functioning,' Sean said.
'After getting second opinions and doing everything we could, we have to make the impossible decision to let her go.'
A 7-Eleven spokesperson said that the suspect has been terminated and that the company is cooperating fully with police.
'Our hearts are with those impacted during this difficult time,' the spokesperson told KTLA.
Jessica 'had a way of making people feel safe, accepted, and loved', Sean said.
'She was the kind of person who rooted for the underdog, who lifted people up when they were down, and who truly saw the good in everyone,' he said.
'She had such a beautiful soul and deserved so much better than the way her life was taken from her.' More Trending
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $32,000 as of Thursday afternoon. Jessica's funeral service will take place on July 10.
'Now we're trying to give her the goodbye she deserves,' Sean wrote.
'We want to give her a beautiful service – something that honors who she was and how deeply she was loved.'
Jessica died nearly seven years after a metal factory worker died after his boss allegedly blasted him with an air pressure hose in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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