Muleshoe man killed in Lubbock Walmart

Roel Munoz had been at Muleshoe's schools on Friday morning, visiting with the cafeteria staff he supervised. That afternoon he went to Lubbock to pick up some fruit and then to Walmart to purchase additional items.

Munoz was killed in the Walmart about 3:15 p.m. Friday in what police have said appears to be a random shooting.

"I got the call Friday night at a ballgame and I just couldn't believe it," said Muleshoe schools Superintendent R.L. Richards.

"He was so gentle and meek and kind. We just can't see him being in a confrontation. We're just devastated."

The suspect, Kaleb Anthony Vasquez, 20, fled the store at 702 West Loop 289 immediately after the shooting. A Walmart employee saw him toss an object into a sewer. Police investigators located a 9mm semi-automatic pistol inside the drainage culvert.

Then about 7:15 p.m. Friday, police responded to an attempted carjacking in the 1800 block of Avenue A. Investigators believe Vasquez was the subject involved in the attempted carjacking. He was located in the area and arrested without incident.

Vasquez is charged with murder and being held on a $500,000 bond in the Lubbock County Detention Center.

Richards said Munoz's wife, Vanessa, was waiting in the car in the Walmart parking lot when she saw commotion and went inside the store to find her husband had been killed.

The Munozes lived in Muleshoe. He worked for Southwest Food Enterprises, overseeing the school cafeterias in Muleshoe, Sudan and Morton.

Richards said he began working for SFE in August, and had worked at Muleshoe's nursing home and a local grocery store before that.

Police said Vasquez had gone into the Walmart to shop with other family members.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal contributed to this report.