Family identifies man killed in forklift incident at Menards in Golden Valley as James Stanback
People gathered at Menards in Golden Valley on Thursday to pay tribute to the 19-year-old worker who was killed at the store.
Family members have identified the man killed as James Stanback, a recent graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis. He was found unconscious and pinned under a forklift after a pallet of lumber had fallen on the forklift as he was operating it.
The store remained open after Stanback was found around 10:05 a.m., prompting a crowd of people — including Stanback's family members — to gather at the store and demand it close, according to Facebook live videos posted by Stanback's sisters.
FOX 9 says the store remained open initially, albeit the lumberyard where Stanback died was closed, until 5:30 p.m., at which point it was closed with a sign that says it would reopen again at noon on Friday.
Police from multiple jurisdictions responded to the scene, social media posts show.
The Golden Valley Police Department told Bring Me The News on Friday three people were "temporarily detained" at Menards but were released at the scene "with further investigation to determine possible charges."
"We are a small family here at Golden Valley and we are all in shock. Our thoughts and prayers are with our Team Member’s family," a store spokesperson said.
According to videos posted to Facebook, Stanback had been working at Menards for a few weeks, and family claim that he wasn't qualified to operate a forklift, but Menards says he was.
OSHA is investigating the incident.
