00:00A Walmart employee was shot and killed on the job last night in the South Bay.
00:04The 18-year-old victim was killed following a fight in the parking lot Walmart there on East Lake Parkway.
00:10It happened late Thursday night.
00:11NBC7's Jeanette Quezada joins us live from Chula Vista now with the latest developments here.
00:16Jeanette.
00:18That's right.
00:19Well, while we were out here, we actually saw several Walmart employees taking photos of that area where that fight
00:26broke out.
00:27We also spoke with one of the employees who says the victim was a cart associate,
00:32and he may have been gathering carts when he was shot and killed.
00:37It's really bad, like people pulling guns out of nowhere.
00:41Chula Vista police responded to a call about a shooting at the Walmart parking lot after 1030 Thursday night.
00:47When officers arrived, they found the 18-year-old employee with a gunshot wound.
00:52He was taken to the hospital where he later died.
00:55It's really bad for that kid.
00:56It's a kid, like I'm 21, and I was his age three years ago, and I don't know, imagine working
01:02at night.
01:03Nobody likes to work even at night and not even getting home.
01:07Police say the suspect is 32-year-old Thomas Perez.
01:10They say Perez called 911 to report the shooting and waited for officers near the scene.
01:16Perez told officers he and the employee had gotten into a fight when he pulled out a gun and shot
01:22him.
01:22Perez was booked into jail with one charge of murder.
01:26A spokesperson with Walmart said in a statement,
01:28We are heartbroken by what happened at our Chula Vista, California store Tuesday.
01:33We will continue working closely with local law enforcement as they investigate.
01:39It's very sad.
01:41I think about the pain the parents must be feeling, and it really breaks my heart.
01:44It's also very sad that anyone can just pull out a gun and kill someone.
01:48That shouldn't be.
01:51And workers tell us the victim had not been working at this Walmart very long.
01:57Now, Chula Vista police says that this case remains under investigation.
02:00They're asking anyone with information to please come forward.
02:04In Chula Vista, Janet Quesada, NBC7.
02:07Thank you, Janet.
