A father of four was shot dead when a maniac opened fire on random cars on a busy southern California street on Monday morning — and then stripped down in the nude, shocking footage of the shooting shows.
Julio Rodarte, 39, began shooting at cars with a semi-automatic weapon around 6:30 a.m. on State Street in San Jacinto in Riverside County, according to police and disturbing surveillance footage.
Video obtained by KTLA shows Rodarte walking down the sidewalk in front of a car wash with a gun drawn, which he begins shooting at vehicles passing by. He unloads an entire clip, and tosses in behind him, the footage shows.
He then takes off his shirt and kicks off his shoes. Witnesses said he eventually completely undressed himself.
One passerby, identified as 43-year-old Victor Hugo Leon, was killed, according to police.
Another man was wounded and several cars were damaged from the gunfire, cops said.
“He was a very lovable person,” Leon’s wife of 13 years, Griselda Zepeda, told KTLA.
“He leaves us very broken. He had that mean face, but he was such a sweetheart, always doing his best for his family.”
Zepalda said she started to feel like something horrible had happened after Leon didn’t return from his overnight shift at a warehouse in Moreno. After he was shot just minutes from home he was taken to a local hospital where he died.
“I don’t know what was going through his mind, the last breath he took,” Zepeda said.
“It hurts me so much.”
Before the shooting, Rodarte had apparently stopped at a local store and tried to buy a shot of liquor, but didn’t have enough money, according to ABC 7. Moments later he started shooting, police said.
The motive remains unclear.
Enrique Tores, who owns E & E Tires, located near the shooting, told ABC 7 that he heard about 30 shots ring out as he was working in his shop. He said he saw the gunman ditch the magazine and the gun before stripping down.
“He was completely naked, and he just kept walking. And that’s when they called the cops,” Tores said.
Rodarte was later arrested and charged with murder with malice, 10 counts of attempted murder, robbery, and resisting arrest, jail records show.
Leon’s wife has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the funeral costs and has raised more than $40,000.
