Employee stabbed to death at Hancock Park furniture store
A 24-year-old woman was stabbed to death Thursday afternoon while working at a Hancock Park furniture store, and Los Angeles police said the killer remains at large.
Brianna Kupfer was working alone inside the Croft House furniture store in the 300 block of North La Brea Avenue when a man entered the store, attacked her and stabbed her to death, said Det. Herman Frettlohr of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Riley Rea, co-owner of Croft House, said Kupfer was smart, confident, calm and beloved by her co-workers at the store, where she worked for a little more than a year.
“She was mature beyond her years,” Rea said.
Rea said he’s never heard of any violence or unprovoked attacks at his store, which has been at the same location in Hancock Park for the last 12 years.
Kupfer, who was from Pacific Palisades, was taking an exterior design course at the UCLA extension while working at Croft House, Rea said.
“I’m absolutely devastated for her and her family,” he said. “It just seems so disgusting and unexpected. Really there are no words to say how shocked we are to lose such a wonderful person.”
The assailant, described as a man in his 20s or 30s, was wearing a black hoodie, black skinny jeans, dark shoes, sunglasses and a white N95 mask, according to video surveillance footage. He exited the store through the back after the attack, according to the LAPD.
A customer found Kupfer and called 911 shortly before 2 p.m. Kupfer was pronounced dead by paramedics, and police don’t believe she knew her killer. Police would not say if a weapon was found at the scene.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the LAPD at (877) 527-3247.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
