Candlelit vigil held for Wilmington Walmart employee who was fatally shot

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A candlelit vigil was held Saturday in remembrance of a Walmart employee who was fatally shot.

Last week, while working at the Monkey Junction Walmart, 67-year-old Mark Paz was shot and later died after trying to stop a man from shoplifting just before 6:00 pm on November 2. 

The alleged gunman—who we now know as 31-year-old Dean Michael Newman—was charged with First Degree Murder and is being held without bond. 

Dozens of people gathered in the parking lot of that Walmart, including friends, family, and some who only met mark a handful of times; all there to pay their respects. 

By all accounts, Mark was a caring, thoughtful person who loved his job and loved the people he worked with even more. 

Susie Burket helped organize the vigil. Her and her husband knew Mark for more than six years. She said she wanted to give those who knew him a space to grieve, while also recognizing a flame that was extinguished far too soon. 

“He didn’t deserve what he got. If that guy wanted to steal something he should have just went on out the door, he could have shot the gun in the air. He didn’t have to kill Mark over it,” Burket said. 

Mark’s wife, Alma Paz, was brought to tears by the show of remembrance. 

“It just meant the world to me, and it felt like Mark was all over the place, because he was,” Paz said. “He was in each and every person that came here. And with our deepest gratitude from my husband and I, we thank you. And my family and friends, thank you.” 

Alma added as the years come and go, now without Mark, she’ll remember what her husband told her. 

“He’d always say ‘we’ll never grow old baby, you know, just always look ahead and keep going and make the best that we can.’ And we did. We really did,” Paz said. 

Paz’s family has also started a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs.