Berkeley student gunned down outside Oak Park shop

The friends and family of Rodrigo Rodriguez are trying to deal with their incredible loss, one that goes far beyond the walls of his family's Curtis Park home.

"It's not just his family who suffers," said a friend, Natasha Gallant. "It's Sacramento."

Rodriguez, 21, was shot multiple times by a man who waited for him outside an Oak Park barbershop Sunday evening, according to Sacramento police. Rodriguez, entering his junior year at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was studying accounting on a full scholarship, was shot after closing the shop at 6:39 p.m., police said. He was declared dead at the scene.

Investigators have been unable to come up with a motive for the homicide, saying there were no reports of an altercation at the barbershop before the shooting. Witnesses reported seeing a man between the ages of 18 and 24 wearing a red T-shirt and dark blue jeans leave the scene in a dark-colored sedan.

Complicating the investigation is the fact that Rodriguez, known by his friends and family as Rodi, had nothing in his background that could help police explain his violent death.

He was an honor student at Sacramento High School and then Hiram Johnson High School. He tutored younger kids and organized food and clothing drives. His college tuition was being covered by a prestigious Frank H. Buck Scholarship.

"He was going to the top," said his father, Rodrigo. "He was going in the right direction and someone crossed his path, and I don't know why."

At a very young age, that path seemed destined for something special. By the time he was in sixth grade, Rodriguez was breezing through his studies so easily he no longer needed his parents' help.

Soon after, he started thinking about and preparing for the Buck Scholarship, an award that would allow him to become the first member of his family to go to college.

Along the way he tutored young people who had been expelled from school and was appointed to the city's Youth Commission. And, said those who knew him well, he never forgot where he came from.

"He was going to land himself a beautiful job and take care of his brothers and mother and me," said his father.

"He drove himself. All we did was love him, and everything he accomplished he did on his own."

Rodriguez had worked at the House of Skillz barbershop on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for the past three weekends, building up hours to earn his barber's license. He didn't take the job for the money and would often give free haircuts to young kids who came in without enough cash, his father said.

"He worked hard for everything," said his girlfriend, Yvonne Natad. "And he wanted to give back. You couldn't meet him and not like him because he had such a big heart."

He left an impact with many. Rodriguez was appointed by Mayor Heather Fargo to the Sacramento Youth Commission in 2003, serving for two years on the committee that acts as a proponent for the city's young people. He was a regular volunteer at city events, from setting up for concerts in the parks to serving ice cream.

"He was a nice kid, and he never showed me any different," said Vincene Jones, the mayor's chief of staff. "He was such a nice guy, and I always thought he would make it. This is very heartbreaking."

Several of Rodriguez's friends gathered in his family's tidy home Monday, wiping away tears as they remembered his strength and determination. A young girl -- a friend's daughter -- ran playfully through the home. Rodriguez's mother, surrounded by co-workers, sobbed uncontrollably on a couch.

"He was going to be big," said a friend, Michelle Espinoza, "but he would never forget where he came from."

Rodriguez was Sacramento's 33rd homicide this year. Of those victims, 14 have been 21 years old or younger, records show.

Anyone with information regarding the homicide is urged to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Ryan Lillis can be reached at (916) 321-1085 or rlillis@sacbee.com.