Violent nights in Lodi
Two men shot to death days apart; one arrest made
As one family mourns the loss of a loved one who was fatally shot in Lodi last Friday, another young man lost his life in a shooting on Tuesday night.
A 23-year-old man, identified as Rodrigo Ignacio by his family on a GoFundMe page, was fatally shot on the 400 block of North Sacramento Street on Tuesday night and pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical personnel despite lifesaving efforts, according to Lt. Michael Manetti of the Lodi Police Department.
It was Lodi’s third homicide of the year.
A 31-year-old man was shot twice on the 700 block of West Vine Street at approximately 11:13 p.m. last Friday, according to Lodi Police Officer Gerald Bahr, and was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical personnel.
A 17-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of the shooting, Bahr said, but the investigation is ongoing.
Jessica Folstrom identified her cousin Ruben Rodriguez as the victim, as did Gabriel, Ruben’s brother. Folstrom described her cousin as a loyal man who loved his family and friends, and said he was shot in a case of mistaken identity.
“Even when he got shot, as he was taking his last breath, he kept saying ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ He didn’t want people to worry about him. He always put others first, that’s just how he lived his life. That’s why it’s so hard that he was taken from us,” Jessica said.
Ruben was always the life of the party, Jessica said, and loved to dance to any kind of music from country to hip-hop. He was always willing to help his friends and family, she said, no matter what they needed.
“Right now, I’m moving. I was going to call him and ask for help. The golden rule of moving is that you buy people pizza and beer when they help you, but that’s something that Ruben would have just offered. He never asked for anything in return, either,” Jessica said.
Only 1 1/2 years younger than Ruben, Gabriel spent nearly all of his time with his brother growing up.
The two were always in the same school until Ruben graduated from Lodi High School in 2004, Gabriel said, and often played football together, among other sports.
“Our older cousin would get all of us together and make us box. We were really into wrestling at the time. My aunt had these big speakers, and we would play certain wrestlers’ theme songs and beat our friends up. That’s why it hurts so much, because we were so close,” Gabriel said. “He had a really good heart. He had so many friends. It didn’t matter what it was, if you needed him, he was there.”
The family will hold a viewing service for Ruben on Sunday, Jessica said, and a celebration of his life the following Monday.
A GoFundMe page for Ruben’s memorial service has already exceeded $6,000 in donations, Jessica said, and she is looking into the possibility of donating any leftover money to benefit children.
“He really loved kids. He didn’t have kids himself, but he was a great uncle. Kids were just drawn to him because he was the biggest kid ever. I have so many videos of water balloon fights at the park,” Jessica said.
Although Jessica mourns her cousin’s loss and hopes those responsible are brought to justice, she said, she tries to stay positive and remember how much he enjoyed his life.
“One thing that makes me happy is knowing that he lived a full life. It was cut short, it was taken from him, but he really lived. It makes me think about my own life, too. Have I really lived?” Jessica said.
Although an arrest was made for Rodriguez’s killing, both investigations are ongoing, and anyone with information about either shooting is asked to call Lodi Police Dispatch at 209-333-6728 or CrimeStoppers at 209-3692746. Callers to CrimeStoppers may remain anonymous, and may be eligible for a reward if their information leads to an arrest.
A GoFundMe for Ruben Rodriguez’s memorial service can be found at www.gofundme.com/ruben-rodriguezmemorial.
A GoFundMe for Rodrigo Ignacio’s memorial service can be found at www.gofundme.com/5jzeba0.