Paramedic Rafael Vazquez left a training course on how to help when several people are hurt at once, and went to lunch at a nearby Wendy's fast-food restaurant. He became exactly the kind of victim he was being trained to save, AP reported As Vazquez stood at the counter waiting to exchange a promotional toy for his child, he was shot point blank in the back by a gunman wearing a jacket, tie and baseball cap. Four others were wounded by gunfire during the lunch hour rampage Monday, and the 60-year-old gunman _ Alburn Edward Blake of West Palm Beach _ committed suicide. Investigators were still unsure why Blake, a handyman and maintenance worker, chose the crowded restaurant, and why he decided to kill in a seemingly random attack. «This was not a robbery. He didn't demand anything,» said Paul Miller, a Palm Beach County sheriff's spokesman. «Looks like this was just another random shooting like we've seen around the United States.» Miller said Blake had no relation to anyone at the restaurant and no suicide note was found. «We don't know why he picked this location to do this horrible deed,» Miller said. Vazquez, the slain off-duty firefighter, «probably didn't even see him,» said Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Steve Delai. Vazquez's wife and child were outside in the parking lot when the shooting began. Vazquez, 42, was on a lunch break Monday and had been attending a course called «Strategy and Tactics,» after being promoted to lieutenant in January. Delai said the course teaches officers how to «manage large-scale incidents like we had today.» Witnesses said Blake entered the restaurant and went to a restroom. He appeared nervous when he emerged and killed Vazquez. He died at the scene without ever uttering a word. The injured were hospitalized in stable condition, Miller said. Two others had minor injuries, including one person who was hurt while running away. He emptied at least one clip before shooting himself in the head.
