Dispute over hours worked preceded Publix shooting, father-in-law says

Kenneth Rouch said he does not know what happened to his daughter-in-law, Arunya Rouch, who police said shot at two people Tuesday at a Publix in Tarpon Springs, killing one man and grazing a police officer’s utility belt before being shot herself.

Police said Arunya Rouch shot Gregory Janowski, 40, at point-blank range with a 9 mm pistol as the Spring Hill resident was in his car in the parking lot of the Tarpon Mall on U.S. 19, police said.

After shooting Janowski, Rouch ran into the Publix, where she was shot several times in a gun battle with police, authorities said. She was listed in critical but stable condition.

“She is just the sweetest little girl you would ever want to know,” Kenneth Rouch said. “She is a fine Christian lady. I have no idea what caused all this. She is just a beautiful girl and a wonderful wife. You could not ask for a better daughter-in-law. I do not understand this.”

Rouch said his daughter-in-law had been having problems for a while with Janowski.

“We know she was being harassed by this fellow at work,” Rouch said. “She had been for a couple of years. He had been reported, but nothing was done about it.”

The problem escalated to the point where Arunya Rouch, 41, was going to be transferred to another Publix, he said.

“She wanted to get away from Mr. Janowski,” Rouch said. “She would have been gone within a week.”
The harassment was verbal, he said.

“He was making fun of everything she did,” Rouch said. “He was correcting everything she did.”
Arunya Rouch’s sister-in-law offered a similar take about the situation at Publix.

Janowski “has been harassing her unmercifully for two years,” Kathy Miranda said. “Publix did nothing about it. It was reported to her supervisors; they did nothing about it.”

Janowski’s uncle, George Kapetanis, said he does not believe his nephew harassed Arunya Rouch.

“She was not harassed,” Kapetanis said. “From what I heard, she was doing things against Publix policy. It is up to every associate to make sure the one next to you is doing the right thing.”

Janowski reported Arunya Rouch for working off the books that morning, Kenneth Rouch said.

“That was the way she was,” Rouch said. “She saw something that needed to be done and did it. She went to help out, but Janowski reported her. He may be a very nice man, and I feel sorry for his family.”

Kenneth Rouch said his son, Thomas, married Arunya Rouch eight years ago after coming to Florida from her native Thailand about 12 years ago.

They met while working at Jabil Circuits, where he was a manager and she worked for him. He lost his job there several years ago, when the company was cutting back employees, Kenneth Rouch said.

He said his son worked at Publix as a meat cutter.

Thomas Rouch refused comment.

Arunya Rouch’s arrest affidavit said she tried to shoot several other employees in the store before police shot her, sending her to the hospital.

The arrest affidavit said Rouch blamed Janowski for problems she was having at work and had threatened to kill him if she was fired. She was charged Tuesday night with first-degree murder.

Company officials confirmed Rouch and Janowski were Publix employees and that Rouch had been let go earlier Tuesday.

Publix officials wouldn’t say why Rouch had been fired.

Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten confirmed that Rouch recently earned a five-year award but would not comment about any problems she might have been having or whether she was about to be transferred. Tarpon Springs police spokeswoman Lt. Barbara Templeton would not comment about Rouch’s work status.

It’s not yet clear who initially purchased the gun police say Rouch used in the shooting. Officials are still waiting for a serial number search to be completed, said Tarpon Springs Police Lt. Barb Templeton.

But Rouch’s husband, who works for a Publix in Palm Harbor, told police it was a gun they kept in their house.

Kenneth Rouch said he did not know his daughter-in-law to have interest in firearms.

“I am not aware of it,” he said. “This is all new to me.”

Kapetanis remembers his nephew as a “fun-loving kid who liked to work and support his family.”

Last year, Janowski married Elizabeth Ramazetti, the mother of their 7-year-old daughter, Savannah.
Janowski liked to hunt, fish and work on cars, said Kapetanis.

He would do air conditioning repair work on the side when he wasn’t at Publix, Kapetanis said.

“For Greg, it was work to home, work to home,” said Kapetanis, who last saw his nephew two weeks ago.

“We got out of church and went to the Tarpon Publix to get cold cuts and we saw him there,” said Kapetanis. “He wanted me to go to an auto show, but it was rained out. That was the last time I saw him.”

“We will miss him,” Kapetanis said. “They are having a viewing Monday between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., at the First Baptist Church of New Port Richey. The funeral will be 1 p.m. Tuesday, at the First Baptist Church.”

News Channel 8 reporter Natalie Shepherd contributed to this story. Reporter Howard Altman can be reached at (813) 259-7629.