'AIEA — A Pearl City man shot and killed a woman yesterday before shooting himself at a convenience store in what homicide investigators have tentatively classified as O'ahu's fifth murder-suicide of the year.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner's office will perform an autopsy today. The woman was co-owner of Bobo's Mini Mart at 98-064 Kamehameha Highway in 'Aiea and the man was a family friend who worked there, police said.

Maj. Dave Kajihiro, commander of the Pearl City police patrol district, said the bodies were found by a customer at about 9:45 a.m. A gun was found next to the 61-year-old man, who was lying in a pool of blood in front of the counter.

The woman, age 44 according to police, was found behind the counter. The medical examiner said the woman was in her 50s.

The medical examiner is not releasing names until identities are confirmed.

Bobo's Mini Mart is owned by JYC Incorporated and the officers of the corporation are Judy and Stanley Shimamoto, husband and wife.

Witnesses identified the dead man as Dennis Inouye.

Judy Shimamoto, often referred to as "Mama" by her customers, was believed to be working at the time of the shooting.

Customers of Bobo's Mini Mart, who gathered outside the store while police investigated inside, were stunned to learn of the shooting deaths.

"I saw her nearly every day," said Gabe Edrado, an 'Aiea resident, referring to Judy Shimamoto. "She was a great lady. Always called her 'Mama.'

"We'd talk about everything. She had one kid at college on the Mainland and one who just graduated 'Aiea ... I can't believe someone would do this."

Edrado wiped tears from his eyes as he talked of Shimamoto.

Kim Krueger said she lives just up the block from Bobo's and said that whenever she frequented the store, "Judy" was always there.

"She was so sweet," Krueger said. "I can't believe anyone would do this to her."

Bobo's is the corner store of a small strip mall that houses Aiea Cue pool hall on the second floor and Colleen's Hair & Toes next to Bobo's.

Kisun Kim, who works at Colleen's, said Shimamoto usually had two small dogs with her while she worked and often Inouye worked with her.

"She was a very nice lady," Kim said. "Why would something like this happen?"

This is the second time this year police have been called to Choi's Strip Mall for a major felony.

At 2:15 a.m. on April 3, three men with crowbars barged into Aiea Cue, ordered four employees to lie face down, and used a blowtorch to break into an ATM and change machine. The three men fled with $1,000 in coins and $175 in cash taken from the register, an undisclosed amount from the ATM and change machine, a laptop computer, a PlayStation video game player and games and an iPod.

Three suspects were later arrested and indicted by a grand jury on felony charges in May.