Food truck owner shot to death in Modesto’s airport neighborhood; 13-year-old arrested
A Salida man died at a Modesto hospital after being shot in his food truck in the airport neighborhood Tuesday night, police reported.
Officers arrested a suspect, a 13-year-old boy, during a traffic stop about four hours later, the Modesto Police Department said.
Family members identified the victim as Rafael Avila-Rodriguez, 67, a news release said. The business is named Dona Sole Comida Mexicana and operated in the parking lot of the Airport Market.
Customers of Avila-Rodriguez went to the scene Wednesday upon hearing about his death. Airport neighborhood resident Angel Uribe Pena said he had enjoyed talking with the owner even when he was not buying food.
“He doesn’t really stand out to be a person for someone to shoot,” Pena said. “He was just one to come do his job, make his honest living off selling his tacos.”
Police said the suspect walked up to the Mexican food truck and shot the victim, then ran away. Members of MPD’s Street Gang Unit located the youth, a Modesto resident, during a traffic stop in southwest Modesto at about 12:30 a.m. He was not identified because of his age.
A worker at the Airport Market said Avila-Rodriguez had operated his truck there for more than a year. The worker, who declined to give his name, said he never really got to know the victim, but he was a nice man who sometimes would give food to those in need.
Neighborhood resident Norma Villagomez also came by the scene of Avila-Rodriguez’s death.
“He was a very nice guy,” she said. “I came here and bought tacos, and if I didn’t have money, he said I can pay later.”
A call was received about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday about a person shot near the 1600 block of Monterey Avenue, across from Orville Wright Elementary School.
The suspect was a passenger in a vehicle, MPD spokeswoman Sharon Bear said. The driver was not arrested. The suspect was booked into Stanislaus County Juvenile Hall on a charge of murder.
Avila-Rodriguez typically would close his truck at the same time store staff went home, after 9 p.m., said the Airport Market worker. He added that he did not witness the crime, which was reported by someone who was outside the market.
Pena said the shooting was hard to take in a neighborhood that already had too much crime.
“I just hope that this community ends up changing, and helping each other out and trying to stop all this violence,” he said.
The motive for the homicide is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Randy Bolinger at 209-342-9162 or Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.
Modesto Bee photographer Andy Alfaro contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 7:12 AM.
