Beauty store owner killed while trying to defend business from shoplifters

A Florida mom and business owner was reportedly killed while trying to stop shoplifters at her beauty supply store, leaving behind two daughters and a husband just weeks before Christmas. 

Ilson Miriam Kim, 64, was trying to stop two thieves at her store, Beauty Max, in Jacksonville, Florida, in the evening on Dec. 6 before the shoplifters fatally ran her over with their vehicle. 

"Two individuals entered into the business, one of the individuals grabbed several items and ran out of the store with those items," Sgt. Steve Rudlaff of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office told News 4 JAX. "A store employee followed this individual to her car which was ready for this person."

At least three suspects were involved – two entered the store and one drove the getaway car, Rudlaff told the outlet. One of the suspects got into the car with the items stolen, while the third suspect left on foot. 

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Kim was taken to the hospital after being hit by the vehicle, but she succumbed to her injuries. 

Kim's husband said the store had already been experiencing a recurring shoplifting problem, but a neighboring business owner said that this time, the victim had finally had enough and decided to take action by chasing after the suspects, according to Action News JAX. 

"She worked alongside her husband for much of her life, but Beauty Max was the first business she independently owned," her family told the outlet in a statement, in part. "We don’t know exactly why she decided to confront the shoplifters, but the store had experienced thefts in the recent past." 

Someone even had the "audacity" to steal from the store the day after Kim's death, her family added. 

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She immigrated to the United States from Uijeongbu, South Korea, in 1986 "in search of better opportunities," according to an online obituary.

"Ilson was a proud mother, wife, businesswoman, and store owner," according to a fundraising page for her family. "She taught her daughters the power of hard work, persistence, empathy and love; she exemplified these qualities with the grace and love she showed to others in her community on a daily basis."

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"The Kims are a strong, proud family and Ilson was a true matriarch who they must now learn how to navigate life without."

The investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made.