Friends Remember Subway Employee Gunned Down In Late-Night Robbery
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Friends say he was an unassuming guy with a friendly smile.
Police say Subway employee Jerry Lucero, 43, was gunned down in cold blood during a late-night robbery in Stockton.
After a day-long manhunt, police captured the suspect, Steven Allee, hiding out under a tarp in Lodi with a gun nearby.
Tuesday night's shooting came a day after five shootings left nine injured in Stockton.
The latest victim is a man who police say was just doing his job. Friends and longtime customers laid flowers outside the Stockton Subway for Lucero
"Last night's homicide was senseless," said Stockton Police spokesman Joe Silva. "It was an innocent victim, it was an employee of Subway who was just doing his job."
Officers say Allee came in on Tuesday night and whipped out a gun, demanding the register be opened. Whether Lucero fought back is unclear.
A nearby business owner who didn't want his face shown had no problem showing off the loaded, registered handgun he keeps at his desk. He isn't taking his safety for granted in the East hammer Lane strip mall.
""I'm not gonna hesitate. Either my life or their life," he said. "They're gonna try to pull a gun on me; I'm gonna have to shoot 'em."
Lucero's wife also works at the Subway. Friends say she worked during the day while he worked nights.
"They came here to work because she was robbed at another place, so they thought this would be safe," said friend Betty Williams.