The Antelope Valley Times

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UPDATED: Suspect arrested in Smoke Shack shooting death

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A 23-year-old worker was shot in the chest Sunday afternoon inside the Smoke Shack, located at 137 East Avenue J in Lancaster. The Hispanic female was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
A 23-year-old worker was shot in the chest Sunday afternoon inside the Smoke Shack, located at 137 East Avenue J in Lancaster. The Hispanic female was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

LANCASTER – A 20-year-old man was arrested early Monday morning for shooting a woman to death inside the Smoke Shack in east Lancaster late Sunday afternoon.

Samy Ali Mahmoud was arrested for murder around 2:10 a.m. and jailed on $1 million bail, according to Lancaster Station jail records.

The suspect and the victim worked at the Smoke Shack, located in the 100 Block of East Avenue J in Lancaster, according to Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Eddie Hernandez

The store’s owner and several of his workers were inside the Smoke Shack at the time of the shooting, Hernandez said.

“The lady that was killed was in the back area of the smoke shop doing some cleaning,” Hernandez said. “One of the workers walks from the front of the store to the back of the store and goes into a storage area where there is a shotgun that belongs to the owner.”

Sunday night a crime lab technician inspected shotgun shells recovered at the scene.
Sunday night, a crime lab technician inspected shotgun shells recovered at the scene.

“This worker, for whatever reason, decided to move the shotgun. As of last night he was saying that the shotgun fell and discharged, striking the female in the chest,” Hernandez continued.

The woman was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

There were surveillance cameras inside the store, but the cameras did not capture the incident, according to ABC 7.

On Monday, the Smoke Shack was open for business and the owner, Mike Bittar, confirmed that he was inside the store during the incident.

Friends and other media have identified the victim as Reyna Gutierrez.
Reyna Gutierrez

Bittar said he had been questioned by deputies and released around midnight. He said he could not elaborate on what happened Sunday afternoon because deputies had instructed him not to speak to the media until the investigation was completed.

Murder suspect Samy Ali Mahmoud was booked at the Lancaster Station around 2:20 a.m. Monday, and he is due in court on Wednesday, according to inmate records.

We are following this story closely and will have more information on this incident as soon as it becomes available.

Previous related article: BREAKING NEWS: Woman shot to death in Lancaster

UPDATE 1/29/13 @ 10 am: The victim has officially been identified as Reyna Araceli Gutierrez, a 23-year-old Lancaster resident, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

70 comments for "UPDATED: Suspect arrested in Smoke Shack shooting death"

  1. know the owner mike and k dont thinkmts fair t put the blame on him yes the gun was his and eys it was n the back were else should it have been the front then [removed] would have still ben talked on why gun was in front the point is Mike has to protect himself tp from sall the twekers and ghetto ass peole out here in lancaster who im sure have tried before to rob ths place Mike is a super cook ass guy very nice man and always welcomes everyone in his store he is super friendly . dont think Mike had anythng to do with t what so ever and should not be held accountable for this its sad to hear about ths girls life taken away from her to early and to the previous owner jim or smoke shaq 2 you are a dam liar to say that store never got robbed because i was good friends with 3 of your employees and 2 of them were females that you used to make them work night shift alone and both of them have told me themself that they ad been robbed there held at gun point pistol whipped in the head and other female told me almost same thing and then your other emoployee named mike short dudt he told me to he had been robbed at your other store b

    • That was a tough read. Did you pay attention in school or just show up because your parents didn’t like you and needed their space?
      To answer your question, I was never robbed… ever. The previous owner was robbed several times (smoke & video). Get your facts straight before calling someone a liar.
      I think you are confusing me with Albert, the previous owner.
      Piece of advice… don’t be afraid of using commas and periods. Sometimes you just have to let a sentence end. It’s okay, you can always start another one.
      One last comment… there isn’t a need to talk bad about the neighborhood. Sure we had our share of tweekers… but if you treat everyone with respect, you get respect in return.
      Peace

    • OMG really!!! Plz dude stay off the computer!!! I can’t understand anything you said..
      Stop trying to pass blame.. Only 2 ppl know what happen one is dead.. The other in jail!
      Plz don’t get my name confused with this dude my username has a 0 lol
      The best smoke shop in town is on J and challenger by CVS y’all are awesome!!

  3. Why Samy why????? Why did it have to be you? You were good! When I met you, you were the coolest person now I see this??? If it was accidental then just speak up tell them the whole story. Me and everyone here are missing you. And also the girl that was killed.

    • you wont be seeing this monster anytime soon. that is unless you like visits behind glass….

  4. Its tragic to have lost Reyna so soon. We miss you plainly asall you were to us a friend A co-worker a woman with the strength to gone on with the tough trials life gave. But know Reyna that yours little brothers and sisters you called your own will know you loved and fought for them.

    And no she had no kids we do suspect though that she hid a pregancy n was 6 months pregnant but was lost with her death. Not quite sure haven’t gotten 100% from the autopsy..

    As for funding I’m sure well be having boxes for funds at Mc.Donalds on Ave K where she worked.
    R.I.P Reyna te extranamos …

    • I don’t claim to know the law 100% so maybe someone can better speak as to this matter however- if she were 6 months pregnant (as you suspected)… Wouldn’t Samy be charged with 2 counts of murder?

  5. I am so saddened to hear about the tragic events that happened that day. That was my store that I put my heart and soul into each day. We (current owner & I) started this store from zero to what it is today. I had great pleasure in the day to day operations and dealing with my friends from the neighborhood. I never felt so close to a community like I did during my time at the smoke shop. I can’t believe something like this could happen. I can say that during my time there, any weapons available were secure and hidden, either unloaded or safety was enabled. I cannot say what happened after I left, but it seems that all order was lost.
    Although I have never met Reyna, I would like to apologize for the store owners lack of responsibility and leadership… as this was one of my main functions at this store. I know to most people this was just a store that sold tobacco products and other related items, but to me it was much more. We opened the doors to the neighborhood and they treated us with as much respect and kindness as we could have hoped for. I’ve met and connected with so many different people on an every day basis and I miss them every day. It’s such a shame that this will be the final memory of the store that I cared for so dearly. During my time there, we have never been robbed, never had any type of violence whatsoever… just lots of smiley people in and out of the store.
    My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends, family, and loved ones that have to suffer through this tragedy and I hope the owner does the right thing for a change, and does something to help her family.

    So sorry.

    Jim

  6. From what the owner told Channel 3 news lady the young lady did not work there and just came in to help. Apparently she worked at another job also. I’m sure this was a malicious cold blooded act of murder or else there would not be a 1 million dollar bail.
    A lot sounds suspicious, but a life was lost. R.I.P. young lady.

    • First of all I want to say that my heart goes out to the family of the girl who passed away, this is so sad that her life was cut short at such a young age. Now as for your assumption that this is a cold blooded act of murder did you ever stop to think that there might be another reason there his bail is so high? He just came to the country last summer and still has his passport so he can be considered a flight risk. If you don’t know the people involved keep you opinions to yourself. Now as for the owner of the store I know for a fact that he underpays his “employee’s” has them work 16 hours days/7 days a week. Of course he is not going to step up and admit she worked there because do you think he carried worker compensation or anything else required by the state of California? I really hope that the family seeks legal advise and goes after the owner of the store for negligence, since ultimately he should have made sure that the gun was safely secured.

      • There is only one “employee” that falls into that 16hr, 7day/week catagory that I can think of. I thought he was also the owner…
        Things sure went south after he left. They should have kept him and fired the current owner. Its obvious who was really keeping things in order at that once wonderful neighborhood smoke shop.

      • i new reyna and all i have to say is she was not a emplyee…the owner was trying to cover his rear for her being their! she was a employee at mcdonalds on ave k!

    • So much you know for not even being there! I have known Samy since he was a small child, and even though I am so sorry for this families loss, I cannot even begin to imagine that I know what they are going through, but Samy is an fine young man and comes from a very good family. This is a complete accident, and for the million dollar bail, it is not because it was cold blooded murder, it is for a specific reason that you have no business even trying to figure out. My heart goes out to Reyna’s mom and her entire family, I am a mother myself, but for a misfortunate accident like this, my heart goes out for Samy and his family also. Good luck and prayers to everyone involved.

      • If you knew samy as a child, they you also know all that you typed is a complete lie and 1 hell of a terrible attempt of a cover story…..

        • What ever dude or chick!!! I am not going to argue about knowing someone one here. Just move on to the next comment. Spoke to a friend of his today and I was told of the Candle light vigil on Friday, thinking about driving down, then going to see Samy on Saturday. I am sure he is scared and has not a clue as to what is going on. I am being told that he does not understand a lot of things being told to him, hopefully all goes well and the truth comes out. Such a sad day and no parent should out live a child, but god has a plan for each and everyone of us and this was his plan for Reyna. RIP ma’am , with all du respect, god bless.

          • yes, it will be nice when all hear samy went crazy, after all this is what store owner admitted to in front of many at the vigil last night….

          • Ventura,
            Thank you for supporting Samy. Since my family has gotten to know him he has become a member of my family and if anyone truly knows him they would know that he is not capable of hurting anyone. I think it is suspicious that the owner of the smoke shop is trying to poison everyone’s mind with stories of what happened and showing anyone who will watch (or listen) the video of the shooting. From what I have been told from people who have seen this video you can’t see the shooting but you can hear it, you would think that this would be evidence and should not be showed like a Friday night movie!

          • Just love this God talk, what a joke.Yeah, God had a plan for a beautiful young woman to be shot on the chest.

        • Sounds like you think you know him?
          So go o n spit it out!! You think you know better??

          Anon plz do ???

          • Check the front page. THis piece of **** is crazy as i stated. Looks like i wasnt off was i???? Glad LASD was able to get a witness. I wonder where the morons saying this monster was a “good kid” are now? Eating crow as they should, is my guess…..

    • What a load of BS… She didn’t work there but she was in the back cleaning? Why would the owner (who was there at the time of the accident) let someone go in the back room (where a loaded gun was) to clean if that person didn’t work there??
      What does it matter if she worked another job? Of course she did! She had siblings whom she loved to spend her money & time on… She was 23… She had bills to pay & wanted to have her fun with friends. Anyone who works a minimum wage job in this state knows that it’s impossible to have an easy life with just ONE job.
      Reyna was STOLEN from us… Stolen from her family… Stolen from the world.
      Hopefully this incident WAS an accident… Reyna was friends with Samy, it would be horrible to believe he hurt her on purpose.

      • Why was the owner letting sammy and the girl live in the smoke shop??
        They slept in that smoke shop every night together!! Why was this allowed?
        And if it was cold blood he had many chances ti do it when alone..
        So many parts of this story has been left out!!
        ~ known him his whole life~ he would not do this!

  7. This is To all the dumbass people with dissrespectful comments try and Know the whole story before giving your unreliable information, opinions or thoughts. First off This shop is partnered with my smoke shop which is local down the street from the Smoke Shack owned by Mike who is my uncle, This incident is very hearbreaking Reyna was considered family to the store we are very sad of our lost and we have the right to arm ourselves for protection against a robbery this gun was in a safe manner place what people tend to forget is maybe the worker had issues or problem and he made his choice why would you think to blame the store or owner we cant control others actions did the articl say on a beautifull day of playing with guns this happened no!!!’obviously and accident and no we dont all just sell weed you dumb[removed] we sell everything from drinks, candy to cigarettes and cigars not weed! And to the guy who said all we think about is killing people of cigaretts maybe tell people to stop buying them no ones forcing them and maybe that’s why electronic cigaretts with th option of no nicotine are being sold in our store it because we don’t care right this business is like any other we open to make a living we don’t open because we are die-hard smokers and want to kill humans!!!!!!

    • Oh couple more things people talk about thinking logical thinking etc and bring up a dumb point like uh why was the gun in the back and not in the front uh dumbass maybe because business owners don’t just carry one guys just like homeowners with guns don’t just carry one if your being robbed are you going to say let me go run to the back for my gun no and iq test did you now read it wasn’t the gun owner it was a irresponsible maybe mentally disrupted employee every acts like we can control others action were [removed] working not babysitting we don’t expect bad to happen every second As far as funeral cost no one said mike wasn’t contributing but if the public also wants to help why no and is it a crime to open the next day you want the owner to contribute the he need to open to pay bills and contribute. Couple last things people say their isn’t a memorile Jesus Christ give it a day to set one up and next time you drive by stop into one of the local stores stop in and see the fundraiser and memorial flyers before saying their isn’t one and lastly to the weed pipes guy you are a tard they are tobacco pipes used in the old days but strangely can be used also for weed and with medical marijuana becoming bigger than ever these patients need utensils for their medicine get a life really!

      • If it really was an “accident” then it is a result of the gun being stored cocked with a round in the chamber. This is unsafe.

        If it was an employee with “issues” then the gun should have been inaccessible to him.

        Either way, this incident could have been prevented. You have to at least recognize that fact.

        • Every accident is/was preventable. That is why they are called accidents and not on-purposes.

          • Please allow me to clarify so as to avoid further cliche responses…

            This could have been prevented by the owner of the business.

      • I think you will find that the law holds the owner of the weapon responsible in some way.I believe it would be negligence.

      • You are way to angry! Calm your ass down u are not the one dealing with the loss of a loved one. How bout a moment of silence….

      • I would think if a person felt bad for what happened and the part they played, (because the owner played a part no doubt about it)the last thing one would do would be to open the next day. The blood isn’t even dried on the floor yet and yet, your back to make THAT ALMIGHTY DOLLAR. How do you leave a gun around for anyone to just pick it up and then shoot someone. And if she was like family why are they denying that she worked there? I hope her family sues this guy for everything he’s worth. Someone has to take care of the Child that was left behind, after her Mothers life was stolen.

    • I would like to start off by saying that I am sorry for the loss of Reyna, and I am sorry for the loss of her friends and family. Maybe you and your uncle are the ones with the issues. Leaving a loaded gun where employees can get it! How stupid can “Owners of a business be”. Also maybe you are you Uncle Mike should learn to show some respect for people and not bad mouth them if you really do not know them! I have known Samy since he came to America 8 months ago! In those 8 months I have learned that he LOVES his friends and everyone that is around him. He is one of the most positive people that I have ever known! For all of you that thinks that his bail is so high “because he is a cold blooded killer” have you ever stopped to think to yourselves “Maybe his bail is so high because he has a passport, and can be considered a flight risk”? Apparently not because you just want to assume that he meant to killed a person in cold blood. In the months that I have come to know he I know that he would NEVER hurt a person. So just because you see and hear something, does not mean that it is 100% true, this is how rumors get started. I also believe that the Dumb asses that own the shop should be charged with something as well, because they are the ones that left a gun around. His “friends” were there for him when he was in good standing but the second he gets into trouble everyone believes that he is the most horrible person around! Maybe before you judge someone you should ask yourself “if I was in this position how would I like to be treated”? How can anyone judge another person without knowing the person? If you don’t know the person or the story don’t judge. Everyone has something to be judged for, you don’t want to be judged. How do you think that he feels when everyone around him and his “friends” are sitting there judging him, and talking [removed]? I’m pretty sure that he does not like the feeling, and I also bet that he feels like absolute [removed] for what happened. Also saying that they did not work at the shop what does your “Uncle Mike” have to hide that he does not even want people to know that these two people were his employees! What kind of business are you and your uncle running? It sounds like one that should be shut down, not paying employees at least minimum wage! Then your uncle opening the shop the very next day! If Reyna was really like family to your business your dumb ass uncle would at least have the store closed for the day! Hell if he didn’t he should have at least had the respect to keep the store closed for the memory for Reyna and her family! Apparently money is more important to your uncle then someones life! How selfish can somebody be? Reyna and Samy were also friends, and as I said earlier he LOVED all of his friend, so why would he do this to her? I’m pretty sure it was a complete accident!

  8. Reyna was the sweetest most honest young lady I have met in a long time. I knew this lost angel. She stayed at my home and my mothers. She was my son’s friend. She was hard working young lady. This world has truly lost one of God’s gifts to us. You will be missed Reyna.

  11. The writer of this story is dumb. First he/she says “The victim had not been identified as of 1:30 p.m. Monday, pending next of kin notification, but Sheriff’s Homicide Lt. Hernandez said the victim is a 23-year-old Hispanic female from Lancaster.”

    If you scroll a little down, you can see a picture and name of the victim!

  12. i say we charge this scumbag with murder! c’mon an accident? who are you trying to kid? any logically human being, unless he was high of course since all these shops do is sell weed, would be careful when handling something like that. i say we “accidently” discharge a gun on him and see what happens.

  13. First all, my prayers are with her family and how sad so young and beautiful.
    This is a very troubling time for this society. It is people like the owner of this store, that are to blame for our rights being jepordized. Gun owners need to be SMART and LOGICAL… and leaving a gun. a loaded gun at that, just laying around…. well, isnt smart and results in this. He should be charged with manslaughter. And our right to bare arms should not be takem away but maybe an intellegence test should be givin when purchasing a gun

    • Perhaps there need to be rules regarding having a gun at a business because the way things are now any business can have a gun for protection with no rules or training, and many businesses change employees frequently. Perhaps any employee who works in a business protected by a gun must take a 1 hour training class where at least they can learn the basics like how to keep the gun safe but still be available when needed. Or at least the owner should have to so he/she can learn how to keep the gun at a business safely and train employees on how to use it and when.
      The way things are now many businesses just set down a gun under a counter or in a back room and there the gun sits waiting for some curious employee to pick it up.

  14. heaven has opened its gates for this young lady. I met her once when I went to this place looking around waiting for a pizza from next door. Very friendly and sweet….

    I drove by this place “SMOKE SHOP” today and say no memorial, people going in and out like nothing ever happend!! How disrespectful, and trashy! No class!

    If anyone knows any info on fundraisers please post up…

    And also… WHY SO MANY OF THESE “SMOKE SHOPS” IN THE AV ANYWAYS?? Weed pipes sold under the disguise of “TABACCO PIPES”….They must think we are TARDED…..BOYCOTTTTTTTT TTTHHHEEEEMMM!!!! Put them out of business…
    AND HOW THE H E L L DO THEY GET AWAY WITH SMOKING INSIDE THE STORE…..???

    DA FISH….OUT!

    • The shooting could’ve happened anywhere it just so happen to be at a smoke shop as a matter of fact she helped around the shop, what was sold inside the shop had nothing to do with the death of Reyna she was an honest hard working young lady and will be remembered as such.

  15. It sounds possible to have happened like it was described, its not that probable but stranger things have happened in life. A shotgun that falls and hits the ground stock first could discharge while the barrel is aiming upward and she might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He might have picked up the gun without the owners permission and then dropped it, but even if he did have permission he can still be charged with involuntary manslaughter I suppose. Poor girl, what a sucky way to die. We should all treat each day like it might be our last, you never know if you will be killed by some gun fumbling idiot, or a pack of pit bulls running loose, or stabbed to death in a parking garage, or a car accident.
    Hopefully the girls family will soon own that smoke shop, and whatever other assets the owner has.

  16. I an a good friend of hers and I’ll tell u she didn’t have a baby, something does sound a little fishy about this story but we’ll find out soon. We all love and will miss her so very much..

    • They didnt say she had a 6 month old they said she was 6 months pregnant they were waiting for autopsy report..which could be why his bail got raised another million it would be 2 counts of murder.

  17. WORST OF ALL! MONDAY THE PLACE WAS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS USUAL, AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED..? ISNT A HUMAN LIFE WORTH ANYTHING? ANOTHER THING IS I SAW ON THE LOCAL NEWS CHANNEL THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE TO DO FUNDRAISERS FOR THIS POOR SOULS FUNERAL, I THINK THE BURDEN SHOULD FALL ON THE OWNER OF THE SHOP, FOR HIS CARELENESS WITH NOT HAVING THE WEAPON SECURED!

    • How disrespectful.Best believe the burden will fall on the owner, this is straightup workmens comp at the very least.
      Mr Bittar is already lawyered up I am sure.
      Sounds like customers should avoid the place, it will probably close soon
      You would think he would reach out and offer something.
      When is the fund raiser?

    • Perplexed,

      Do you really think these bastards who sell cigarettes actually care about human life? They are some of the shrudest and coldest people you could ever come into contact with.

  18. The girl killed didn’t have a six month old but she had a family & hundreds of friends who will miss her. She was loving, caring, funny & all around an enjoyable person to be around. The world has lost a gem, and for whatever reason- it’s sad & it really STINKS!
    Blessings to her family in this time <3

    • Sorry for you loss babygirl. ILY and your sisters & brother so much. Every day is so precious.

    • They didnt say she had a 6 month old they said she was 6 months pregnant they were waiting for autopsy report..which could be why his bail got raised another million it would be 2 counts of murder.

  20. SOOOO SAD…My heart goes out to the family and her 6 month old baby. In my thoughts and prayers.

    • ok sorry, I heard the NEWS reported she left behind a baby…, they were wrong apparently. Regardless this is an tradgedy and it is sooo sad, She was to young and she was truly Beautifull. My heart and prsyers go out to Family and Friends.

  21. Unbelievable. A six month old? I mean, wow. That’s just a travesty.

    As for boy. His story is goin right down the tubes. He’s done. Exercising his right to have a lawyer is boy’s only chance. Mr. Owner needs a lil talkin to. It’s one thing to have a gun for protection, but I wonder why it was in the “back room”? Why isn’t it under the counter, or the like, where a robbery is most likely to take place? Seems troublesome. But, what do I know…

  22. Notice they arrested the guy for Murder, two key elements of murder are malice and forethought…. Not mansluaghter which could still apply in an accidental shooting….

  23. Something really hinky about this guy’s story.the shotgun fell and just happened to fire and hit her in the chest.Guess the law isn’t buying it either.

    • If the suspect had GSR (gunshot residue) on his hands, that will be a major factor. Whether it be malice or carelessness which led to this, the person still must be held responsible for their actions. And I agree with others that the store owner is also accountable for not securing the weapon.

  24. God Bless, this young lady and her family, especially her baby girl who will never get the chance to know her Mother.