In a shocking turn of events a Walgreens employee was killed by a gunman who entered his store. Why was the young man and this Walgreens targeted? Simply because the gunman hated that pharmacy.
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Gunman Hated Pharmacy So Much He Opened Fire On It
After UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered, there has been a wave of violence across the country. While many were shocked and saddened by the event, others seem to have been inspired by it. Now, some people are taking the opportunity to take justice into their own hands. Or at least that is how they see it.
One such person is Narciso Gallardo Fernandez. The 30-year-old gunned down a Walgreens and killed the Walgreens employee, Erick Velassquesz, who was working there. What caused this sudden act of violence? Apparently, Fernandez just has a general dislike of pharmacies. In particular, he is not a fan of large-scale pharmacies.
However something interesting about this particular Walgreens is that it was far from the gunman. The Daily Mail shared that "Fernandez drove over 80 miles to target that Walgreens location." Police are looking into potential motives as to why the gunman chose to target that Walgreens.
Walgreens Employee Killed By Gunman
The terrifying scene unfolded this past Monday in the Fresno suburb of Madera. Video surveillance captured Fernandez as he entered the pharmacy and began waving his gun about. During that time, Velasquez dialed 911 and pleaded for assistance.
As he was on the phone, Fernandez opened fire. The 911 operator heard shots being fired in the background. By the time police arrived to the scene, Velasquez was pronounced dead. He was found with a fatal gunshot wound. Luckily, the customers seemed to be okay.
Apparently, Fernandez went to his car to reload his weapon, at which point the customers in the pharmacy hid. Police arrived shortly after. As soon as police arrived, Fernandez surrendered himself to them.
The Community Mourns
Velazquez's family has set up a GoFunMe page, which according to the Daily Mail has already raised over $25,000. Additionally, it is not just his family that his grieving his loss. Frequent customers are also feeling his absence. One customer claimed that he was a valued member of the community.
Others were shocked at the determination of the gunman and were terrified that the Walgreens employee was killed by him. She said, "It's really scary because he (drove) to come kill the boy, and it's really scary."
While many people online are arguing that this was a copycat killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, investigators do not agree. At this time, detectives are still investigating a motive into the crime but they "haven't found a connection between Fernandez...and the infamous Thompson case."
