New details emerge on Madera Walgreens murder suspect Narciso Fernandez

PIXLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- On a residential street in the South Valley, a neighbor shared his reaction to the news that the suspect in Monday night's Walgreens shooting was raised in Pixley.

The neighbor, who asked Action News not to use his identity, said he watched Narciso Fernandez grow up. His parents still live in the community and work as farm workers.

According to police, on March 31, Fernandez drove more than 100 miles from Pixley to Madera to the Walgreens location on Cleveland Avenue just before 10 P.M. and opened fire, killing 29-year-old Erick Velasquez, an employee at the pharmacy.

The neighbor revealed to Action News that Fernandez had been in a serious car accident a few months ago that left him with a head injury and damage to his right arm. In the surveillance footage from inside the Walgreens store, you can see Fernandez use his left hand as he points a gun toward the camera.

Police said that video captured the moments after Velaquez was shot and killed.

An exact motive for the shooting remains unknown at this time, but authorities have shared he had a grudge against large-scale pharmacies.

The neighbor described Fernandez as kind and smart.

UC Merced confirmed to Action News that Fernandez was a student from 2012 to 2015 but did not earn a degree from the 4-year university.

The resident said he is in disbelief at what has transpired in the last 48 hours since the shooting.

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