The pastor of the Bellevue church Laura Pierce attended says she was concerned for her safety working overnights at an Omaha convenience store. Pierce was shot during a robbery last Friday and died a short time later.

Two armed men entered the Kwik Shop on 33rd and Q streets around 2 a.m. The 42-year-old Pierce appeared to have cooperated with their demands, but was still shot. A surveillance camera taped the two gunmen, who completely covered their faces. Police said they left in a waiting car.

When officers arrived they found Pierce on the floor with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital in critical condition where she died.

Pierce's death was the city's first murder of 2009. Omaha set a record for homicides in 2008 with 43.

Kwik Shop is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Pierce's murder. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 444-7867.

Police continue to investigate and receive tips. We're told one of those tips came in as recently as Sunday afternoon concerning people visiting the store who had made a remark about shooting people.

Pierce, pictured above in a 1984 photo, didn't have an easy life. "She had had a number of obstacles in her life throughout the years and when she came to us about five years ago she started to realize the grace of God in her life," says Thanksgiving Lutheran Church Pastor Glenn Harless.

Among those obstacles was dealing with the death of her parents. Pierce was moving forward after rediscovering her faith at her Bellevue church.

"Over time, there was some healing that came to her I think and she was setting new goals for her life and things were looking good for her," says Pastor Harless.

"She had been trained to hand over whatever was asked of her and she complied with that and I guess that wasn't good enough for whomever attacked her."

Pastor Harless says Pierce was an intensely private person, until recently when she opened up about her fear of working nights at Kwik Shop.

"She liked her job and liked the people she worked with, but working nights, there was concern for her safety and that just weighed on her I think."

As a pastor, making sense out of the unexplainable comes more easily to Harless than most people. "We're going to hold on to God's promises of eternal life for Laura and lift that up for her friends and families as well."

Now he prepares to say goodbye to his friend. "It was hard to get to know her, but as you did so and as she let you into her life, you discover this very gentle, kind person."

The family is asking that donations be sent to Thanksgiving Lutheran Church in Bellevue.