No Motive Apparent in Wal-Mart Slayings

A man accused of fatally gunning down two Wal-Mart employees in a store parking lot -- reloading and continuing to fire into the men after they fell -- didn’t appear to know either victim and had no known vendetta against the company, authorities said.

Court papers released Wednesday indicated the suspect, Ed Liu, 53, was mentally ill but gave no further details.

The two employees had been collecting shopping carts in the crowded parking lot of their suburban Phoenix store Tuesday when a man drove up and started shooting, authorities said.

Court documents released after Liu’s initial court appearance Wednesday alleged that after shooting the two men, Liu reloaded his .40-caliber handgun and shot them several more times as they lay on the ground about 75 yards from the store entrance.

Both victims, Anthony Spangler, 18, and Patrick Graham, 36, were wearing their blue Wal-Mart vests, and both died from their wounds.

Two witnesses to the shooting gave police the license number of the shooter’s car, and Liu was arrested a few hours later in a nearby retirement community where he lived.

He was booked late Tuesday on two counts of first-degree murder.

Liu did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request through jail officials for an interview. A search of criminal record databases turned up no criminal history for him in Arizona.

Neighbors said they rarely saw Liu, who lived in the neighborhood for about seven years.

“He was just a quiet guy and one of those people you would least suspect,” said neighbor Judy Devlin.