Prominent Marana businessman John Kai Jr. was shot twice in May by a disgruntled former employee during a meeting at which the man complained about his severance package, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.
Kai, 69, was wounded in the chest and head. He lost his right eye to trauma and will require further medical treatment, say documents filed in Pima County Superior Court. Few details about the shooting have been made public until now.
An arrest warrant was issued soon after the May 4 morning shooting for Ruben Duran Muñoz, 63. Muñoz turned himself in to authorities at a port of entry in Nogales on May 24.
On June 6, Muñoz was indicted on two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with serious physical injury and burglary.
According to court documents, which were filed by the Pima County Attorney’s Office:
Muñoz worked for the Kai family for years, and after he retired he “has subsisted on disability since 2013.”
He told his now ex-wife that he was going to hurt Kai because he was not happy about his severance package.
On the morning of the shooting, Muñoz went to the offices of Kai Enterprises at 6088 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive near Interstate 10 and North Cortaro Road, and spoke to the office manager. He told her that “someone at the University of Arizona had told him that he should be further compensated for his work for the Kai family.”
Muñoz said he was angry about his disability earnings, and the amount that was being deducted for back child support. He told the office manager that he wanted to talk to Kai and he asked her to translate for him.
The three sat at a large table and Muñoz told Kai that “he should have been paid more for his years of service.” Kai and the office manager explained to Muñoz that “he had been fully paid out upon his retirement, including for vacation and sick time and that the business didn’t owe him money.”
Muñoz then asked for a $500 loan, and Kai told him he did not have the cash and showed him “the limited amount of cash in his wallet.”
Muñoz then stood up, and Kai and the office manager saw that Muñoz was holding a semi-automatic handgun. He said no one was going to laugh at him and that he was going to kill them both.
Muñoz then pointed the gun at them, pushed the office manager “slamming her into a partition between areas in the office.” He then shot Kai twice, concluded the documents.
The Kai family — considered a founding family in Marana — has agricultural, real estate, construction and other interests in the area, and is one of Marana’s largest landholders. John Kai is the brother of Marana Town Councilman Herb Kai.
Prosecutor Victoria Otto, a deputy county attorney, said no trial date has been set in the case to be heard before Judge Howard J. Fell.
