Remembering ‘Boo Boo:’ Daytona Beach mourns slain businessman

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — An outpouring of support has appeared online after a beloved Daytona Beach jewelry store owner was killed on Friday.

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Police said Ghazi “Gus” Osta, widely known as “Boo Boo,” or the name he gave nearly everyone who walked into the Volusia Gold & Diamond shop, was shot by 83-year-old John Craiger.

Family members identified Craiger as a frequent customer and said the shooting happened amid an argument. Associates familiar with Osta and Craiger called the shooting a betrayal.

Osta’s good friend Wes Stricklen said he remembered Osta from the 1990s when he went into the store to buy a ring for his wife.

Read: Police: Employee killed, customer injured in shooting at Daytona Beach jewelry store

“It’s just one of the things that you love about him,” Stricklen said. “He doesn’t know a stranger at all. Everybody that walked in was treated with respect and dignity, and he was always laughing.”

Osta was commemorated by a jewelry trade magazine, the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce, Commissioner Stacy Cantu and his daughter, Pavlina.

“This pain is excruciating,” the Milwaukee television anchor wrote. “I keep going from shock, confusion, to disbelief and denial. Now that I’m finally home with my family, I’m just waiting for him to come through the door and give me a big hug.”

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The family set up a GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses. In the description, they credited Osta’s son, David, for returning fire and saving the lives of everyone else who was in the store at the time.

Craiger is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. He was hospitalized after being hit with an object by a witness during the shooting. It did not appear that he had yet made a first appearance in front of a judge as of Monday afternoon.

Community members said they were praying for Osta’s family.

“He always helped me out,” Maggi Tedeschi said. “Like he would give you the shirt off his back. And he helped me out many times when I needed it.”

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