Michael Jacobs, an Arizona CVS manager, came home from work at 10:50 p.m. every night like clockwork, except on Sept. 7, his wife told Fox News Digital.
That Thursday night, Jared Sevey, 38, allegedly was caught shoplifting and came back to kill Jacobs because he was "tired of being bullied" and "this was the last straw," Mesa police said.
Stacy, Michael's wife of 23 years, and their kids didn't know what happened, but she said they had a bad feeling when it was past midnight, and he wasn't home.
"It was like 12 [o'clock] that night and my son was saying, 'Where's dad at?'" Stacy said. "I thought maybe the store stayed open later, but he would’ve told me that. He would have messaged me and said something. I called him, he didn't answer. I called him again. He didn't answer."
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Stacy said she didn't know what to do. She called local hospitals to see if he was there, but no luck. She asked one of her kids to Google Mike's store.
That's when they found out there was a shooting. They bee-lined it to the CVS. On the way, police called looking for Stacy.
"First thing that comes to my mind, is he's still (at the police department) and just taking care of the store. That's why he's so busy. That's why he's not home," Stacy said. "He loved that store."
At this point, she was outside the CVS and looking "at the crazy scene." Her husband's car was still in the parking lot.
"I don't think anything else because I know how good my husband is with security and safety at that store," she said. "But the man (police officer) tells me that there was a tragedy at the store.
"Mike has been shot … It was very brief, but they wanted to make sure that I understood that he was gone, you know, that he's deceased. He got shot. He got killed."
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During their conversation, Stacy said police had a suspect in custody who "didn't have any type remorse, or something like that."
"I just I cannot believe that Mike got taken down like that because he runs the store like a star and nothing ever happens," she said.
Michael was 49.
"We’d have, like, husband and wife conversations, because we always have goals, because we're all young still," Stacy said.
"He's been there for so long, and I asked him, 'Are you sure you want to keep working in this type of store?’ and stuff like that. And he's like always, like, ‘You know, I love this store.'"
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The shooting was on a Thursday. Their last conversation was a text exchange earlier that day when she asked if he was still able to drive her to a meeting on Friday. She called it "husband and wife stuff."
"He's a compassionate person. He's a hard worker. He cares for his family. He cares for others," Stacy said. "He's not replaceable. He's outgoing. He's just, he's very smart.
"I will not be able to understand this tragedy and just to see my kids go without their father for the rest of their life, to just witness that, because they're so young."
The family started a GoFundMe to raise money for Michael's funeral. His son, Gabriel, wrote about his dad, who "would make me smile as I felt sad."
"He was such a perfect person, and he made me realize what I want to do in this life," Gabriel wrote. "When I tell anybody about the tragic murder of him, I tell them about I remember him as ‘the strong man.’
"He would always remind of taking on hard tasks and being a strong person to support the ones you love… My dad would come home and tell us stories of how he'd help his customers."
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On the GoFundMe, Gabriel expressed his disappointment with CVS, which took nine days to reach out to the family to offer their condolences, Stacy said.
CVS didn't respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on Tuesday, but a spokesperson told local news outlet 12news.com that they're assisting Stacy with access to benefits.
Four hours before Michael was killed, the suspected gunman, Sevey, was believed to be shoplifting, according to Mesa police, which said CVS declined to prosecute and let him go.
Sevey allegedly went home, grabbed his gun and returned to the store, where he specifically wanted to see Michael and told employees to get the customers out of the store, according to prosecutors.
"Jared made spontaneous statements to officers, telling them, ‘I did it. I’m guilty. I planned this,' and ‘I bet he ain't talking (expletive) no more, now is he,’" prosecutors said during Sevey's first court appearance last week.
Then Sevey allegedly asked cops for a beer because, "I'm going away for, like, 20 years," the prosecutor related.
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That's when Sevey allegedly told arresting officers that he was "tired of people picking on me," and "this was the only way I can show people that's not OK."
Witnesses told police they saw Sevey covered in blood and throwing a gun in the canal, Mesa police said.
Sevey has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with evidence. He's not allowed to own a gun because of previous violent crime convictions.
Stacy and her children now have to pick up the pieces of their family.
"One of my sons was asking me last night, like, how's it going to be without Dad. I just told him, ‘Right now we got to get your dad rested up and just love him like how we always loved him,’" Stacy said.
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While CVS didn't respond to Fox News Digital's questions on Tuesday, the company released this statement, which was included in Fox 10 Phoenix's report:
"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic shooting that occurred at our Mesa store yesterday evening. Michael Jacobs was a hard-working, dedicated operations manager at our store who worked at CVS Pharmacy for more than two decades. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Michael’s family, friends, and colleagues and have made counseling services available to his co-workers. We continue to fully cooperate with police in their investigation of this tragic incident."
