SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Robert Padilla, a 35-year-old husband and father to four, left home Tuesday afternoon to buy soda for his mother-in-law but never returned, according to his wife.
"Only if he never went to the store that day, Robert would still be here," Yvonne Garcia Padilla said.
Garcia Padilla is now trying to wrap her head around her husband's sudden loss.
“I was just so angry and so hurt. Just so hurt at the whole situation. It didn’t have to escalate this far," Garcia Padilla said.
Scottsdale Police said Padilla got into an argument with two other men in the parking lot at Scottsdale Crossing near Scottsdale and Thomas Roads on Tuesday.
The argument continued inside Albertsons and ended with Padilla and one of the other men shooting each other.
Garcia Padilla said her husband tried to call his step-daughter in his final moments alive.
"She answered and it was just quiet, it was just quiet," Garcia Padilla said.
Both men were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Padilla died. The other man is still in critical condition.
Scottsdale Police are still investigating and can't say what led up to the argument.
Garcia Padilla told 12News it started as road rage.
“People just need to be careful, and not have road rage, and not have anger in their hearts. They should be better drivers. They should be better people, shouldn’t have altercations just out of anger and somebody cutting them off," Garcia Padilla said. "People should just be very careful and cautious because you never know who has a gun.”
A GoFundMe page was created to help Padilla's family.
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