https://www.kcra.com/article/13-year...e-say/35536610

MODESTO, Calif. ?
A 13-year-old boy has been charged with murder after the deadly shooting of the owner of a taco truck in Modesto.

Modesto police said officers went to the 1600 block of Monterey Avenue around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday after there were reports of a shooting.

When officers arrived, they found a gunshot victim inside a food truck parked at 1609 Monterey Avenue. The victim, identified as 67-year-old Rafael Avila-Rodriguez of Salida, was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Modesto Police Department.

Angel Pe?a Uribe has been a longtime customer, turned friend, of Avila-Rodriguez. He told KCRA 3 that he was shocked to learn the news, describing the small business owner as friendly and charming.

"He's just a hardworking man. He shouldn't have died because of that, because some little kid," Uribe said.

Sharon Bear, a spokesperson with the Modesto Police Department, said Wednesday afternoon that the suspected teen shooter walked up to Avila-Rodriguez in the taco truck, shot him, then ran off.

Four hours later, members of Modesto police's Street Gang Unit found the teen during a traffic stop in southwest Modesto at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday. He was booked into juvenile hall and charged with murder, Bear said.

A motive has not been released, Bear said.

"We're still investigating," she said. "It's so early on that we don't know yet what the motive was."

Bear added that the department has noticed a rise in crime in this neighborhood.

"We're taking all the precautions we can ? we are really trying to keep the crime rates down," she said.