ABQ man convicted of shooting wife at Walmart in 2022

APD units outside a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Cutler, October 2022. (KRQE News 13)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A man convicted of shooting his wife at an Albuquerque Walmart in 2022 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Maurice Lacey, 66, entered the break room at Cutler’s Neighborhood Market near San Mateo and shot the woman in the back of the head, court documents said.

The victim suffered serious injuries, including a compressed skull fracture, which required emergency surgery and extensive rehabilitation. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, she still suffers from physical ailments and trauma related to the shooting.

Lacey was prohibited from owning firearms due to a prior felony conviction and an active restraining order for domestic violence when he entered a Walmart. A federal jury convicted him of a federal firearms offense in March 2024. Upon his release from prison, Lacey will be subject to three years of supervised release.

The charges against Lacey were dropped to allow the federal case to proceed. KRQE News 13 reached out to the district attorney’s office to see if the case would be brought back. A spokesperson said they would have to contact the victim before making that decision.