Nathan Gabriel Garza, an 18-year-old from Fairfield, California, was shot twice in the back and killed while working curbside grocery orders at the Safeway in American Canyon on August 16, 2020. The shooting happened just after noon; Garza was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses and investigators say the attack was unprovoked.

Authorities identified 26-year-old Christopher Roly Young (known as Roly) of Martinez as the shooter. Investigators say Young drove from an Airbnb in American Canyon to the store armed with a handgun, fired multiple shots from his vehicle targeting Garza, then fled on foot, hopping fences and entering backyards before being captured by Napa County sheriff’s deputies within an hour. Young was charged with first-degree murder, shooting from a motor vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Garza’s mother, Tracy Garza, described the profound impact of her son’s death on the family. What details about the hours before the shooting might help explain why Young targeted the Safeway that day?