Roanoke police have charged a Florida man with murder in the shooting death of a Roanoke convenience store owner.

Reginald Killingsworth, 38, of Deland, Fla., is accused of shooting Zaid Almajali, 43, at the Z Mart in the 2800 block of Melrose Avenue Thursday night.

Killingsworth also is charged with attempted robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Also charged in connection with the case is Mendy Phelps, 39, of Deltona, Fla. She faces a charge of eluding police.

Regular customers at Z Mart pulled into the parking lot this morning to find the store closed and a cluster of black and white balloons tied to Almajali's car. On learning of the death of the man they called Zaid, or "Z," several customers left in tears.

"I'm going to miss him. I'm going to really miss him," said Joseph Sims, 68, who lives five blocks away and has visited the store since it opened years ago. He sometimes ran errands for Almajali, such as going to the bank for him. The store was good for the neighborhood, giving residents at nearby Melrose Towers a place to walk to to buy bread, Sims said.

Almajali had a young daughter who used to work with him, running the cash register and learning the business beside him, Sims said.

"He was popular around here," said Bobby Ray Reynolds Jr., 30, a homeless man who said he worked briefly for Almajali. "All I know is this: He was good to people."

Police were called to Z Mart at 10:29 p.m. Thursday. According to police and family, a man entered the store, demanded money and threatened Almajali with a gun. Almajali tried to wrestle the gun away from the man when he was shot. He died on the way to the hospital.

The man, who did not obtain any money, fled in a vehicle, police said.

Soon after, an officer tried to stop a vehicle driven by Phelps, but police said she refused to stop. The chase ended when she struck a telephone pole at the corner of Eighth Street and Hanover Avenue.

Killingsworth, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was apprehended after a short foot chase and was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, police said.