Countdown tragedy brings community closer together

Staff at Papakura Countdown are pulling together after the shock death of their security guard, Goran Milosavljevic.

A Countdown staff member, who didn’t want to be named, says Mr Milosavljevic was a kind person who was loved by everyone.

“He was such a nice guy, loved talking to customers and all the staff.”

She says since the accident it has made staff cautious when coming into work.

“If a security guard is meant to protect us and he was the one attacked, we could be next.

“This has never happened before, we’ve had the common shoplifters, but never a case where someone has died.”

Mr Milosavljevic was punched in the head by a 17-year-old around midday Wednesday and died later that evening in hospital.

She says staff are coming together at this time to work through dealing with this tragic loss.

Flowers have been left outside the front of the Papakura store by staff and regular customers as a sign of respect.

Another Countdown staff member, who didn’t want to be named, says the response from the public has been incredible.

“Even though placing flowers at the site of the incident isn’t practically helpful, it could be emotionally comforting for his two sons knowing their dad had such an impact on many lives in our community.”

The teenager responsible for Mr Milosavljevic’s death has been charged with manslaughter and been given interim name suppression.