The community of Mission Hills has been left shaken after a barber, 23-year-old Anthony Rodarte, was shot while working at Prodigy Barbershop last Wednesday. The suspect described only as a Hispanic male donning a black sweater and hat, was captured on surveillance cameras carrying out the attack. The video obtained by ABC7 shows the gunman approaching the barbershop, pulling a firearm from his jacket, and subsequently fleeing on an electric scooter.
Struck in the side, the bullet lodged in Rodarte's back, causing serious harm. "That bullet ruptured the nerves connected to his spine, so it’s going to be a long road for him. He's not going to walk for a long time," Rodarte's mother, Michelle Moreno, revealed to KTLA. Her son is now hospitalized with serious injuries, suffering nerve damage, and is currently unable to walk.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the gunman shot Rodarte while he was cutting a client's hair and had his back toward the front door, insinuating that the act was a random attack. Moreno is now calling for the assailant's capture, stating, "I don’t think I’m going to rest until the person is caught."
The shooting has affected more than just the victim and his family. Hashem Pashtoonwar, owner of Prodigy Barbershop, expressed his devastation regarding the incident, telling KTLA, “I’m responsible for all these guys going home at the end of the day, and he didn’t go home at the end of that day,” Pashtoonwar said. “So, I take it very personally, and I want something done, you know?” As Rodarte continues his recovery and the suspect remains at large, the LAPD is urging anyone with information to come forward and assist in what has become a desperate plea for justice and closure.
