RICHLAND, WA – A plethora of Tri-Cities residents gathered at 3 p.m. today at Howard Amon Park for a memorial honoring Justin Krumbah, who was killed in Monday’s Fred Meyer shooting.
One after another, Fred Meyer employees, family and friends shared their favorite stories about Justin.
“I only got to know Justin for a short brief of time. He was a ray of light amidst all the craziness of COVID. The cashiers enjoyed seeing his face. He’d bring us cookies and cakes and ice cream. He did all that he could to make our day better,“ said one Fred Meyer employee.
Another Fred Meyer employee added, “Justin frequented my line at least 4 times a day. If a lady forgot something, he would be like ‘I’ll go get it for you.’ And he would whip his hair around and go get it. The last time I spoke with him, he wasn’t having a good day. And I just told him I hope you have a better day. And then he came back, and I asked, did you have a better day? He thanked me and brought me cookies. It’s not going to be the same without him.”
Seth Glossen, Justin’s next-door neighbor, said, “He always cared for us, and we never had to ask him. We loved him and he was so helpful. We would spend Sundays together watching the Seahawks because he is their biggest fan! Not only that, but we had this thing where when we’d see each other on our driveways, we would say PEKHAH for the Seahawks.”
At that moment, everyone made a seahawk sound.
“Instacart was really important to him,” Glossen continued. “He loved meeting new people and serving them.”
Another employee said, “He would even help take items back for people who didn’t want them while in line. I saw him that morning and I didn’t get a chance to say hi to him, and I really wish I did.”
Jacob, known as the Fred Meyer mascot (but really works for Human Resources), “I have had the honor and privilege of going to Fred Meyer every day. And I’ve had the utmost privilege of getting to know Krista [Justin’s sister]. Once I met Justin, I said ‘now I see where Krista got her personality from.’ At that point, Krista interrupted and said, ‘Actually, he got that from me!’
“He is such a good man and I knew he was going to do a great thing in this world,” continued Jacob, “And I wish he was still here, so we can tell him how much we love him. And I feel like that’s the point of life anyway – to make an impact on this world.”
Through tears and laughs, everyone hugged and shared stories of Justin while letting go of more than a dozen green balloons. Everyone was instructed to wear green in honor of Justin.
Tri-Citians also expressed their love and support for Krista, another employee at Fred Meyer and Justin’s sister. “Thank you all for coming here today,” said Krista through tears.
