WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) – A Walmart employee in southeastern North Carolina was shot and killed after confronting a man accused of shoplifting from the store Saturday evening.
According to officials with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, several employees tried to stop 35-year-old Dean Michael Newman from shoplifting when a fight started.
Newman pulled out a gun and fired one shot that hit employee Mark Thomas Paz.
Paz was pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 6 p.m.
“It’s not fair that he’s gone,” said Susie Burket, one of his closest friends. “He was at work. He was at Walmart working, you would think your workplace is a safe place, but how do we know that’s not going to happen again?”
Paz’s friends want him to be remembered for who he was and not just as a victim of a senseless act of gun violence. They said he was a true gentleman and friend.
“He was a friend to everybody, no matter who you were or what you did. He was your friend. He’d give you the shirt off his back if he if you asked one for it,” Burket said.
Walmart issued the following statement in response to the shooting:
“We are heartbroken about what happened to Mark. Violence like this is unacceptable. We are focused on supporting our associates and will be offering on-site counseling services. The store is currently closed, and we continue to assist the authorities with their investigation.”
The Walmart store re-opened to the public Tuesday morning at 9:00.
Newman has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to N.C. Department of Adult Corrections records, Newman is listed as a habitual felon, meaning he has been convicted of three or more felonies. Those convictions date back to 2008.
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