Malden residents remember veteran fatally shot outside his store

MALDEN (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) Malden residents are mourning the loss of a store owner and Marine veteran who was fatally shot on Tuesday afternoon.

"Shawn was somebody everybody liked," says P.J. Quattrocchi who lives upstairs from Patriot Skateboards on Main Street.

P.J. says he spoke with shop owner Shawn Clark just about every day and considered him a friend. He discussed Shawn's two children and wife, who he describes as "sweet as can be," with FOX 25's Ted Daniel on Wednesday night.

Matt Burns says he will always remember how nice Shawn was to his 10-year-old son. He says Shawn impressed him with how caring he was for the kids that entered his store.

It appears Shawn's shooting followed some type of altercation that began inside the store and then spilled outside. Witnesses saw two men running from the area. Sources tell FOX 25's Bob Ward it appears Shawn was the victim of a robbery gone bad, but police will not confirm that and they are also not saying if they have any suspects.

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson says this is another example of a disturbing trend.

"What the police tell me these days the disputes are being resolved with weapons," says Mayor Christenson.

Shawn served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning home to Mass. to fulfill his dream of opening a skateboard shop.

Cox Media Group