A mother is pleading for justice after her son was shot and injured while cutting hair at “Prodigy Barbershop” in Mission Hills. Camilla Rambaldi reports for the NBC4 News at 9 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2024.
A concerned mother is pleading for justice and the arrest of a gunman who shot her son while he was cutting hair at a barbershop in Mission Hills.
The shooting occurred on Dec. 11 at "Prodigy Barbershop" located at 15519 Devonshire Street. The alleged shooter was caught on surveillance video wearing a hat and mask entering the shop and shooting the barber, Anthony Rodarte.
"My son called me and he told me he was shot," said Michelle Moreno, Rodarte's mother. "That was horrible because I didn’t know where he had been shot. He sounded like he had heavy breathing at the time. So what was a five-minute drive seemed like it was a 30-minute drive."
The gunman fled in an electric scooter before police arrived.
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"He had a client here in the chair and he had his back towards the front door. The door was open, so he passed by it–shot my son while my son’s working, cutting somebody’s hair," said Moreno.
The LAPD says the motive behind the shooting is unknown as they continue to search for the gunman.
"What we think was randomly shot on the left side of his hip area where the bullet went in – is stuck now on his right pelvic bone and completely shattered all the nerves on his lower back spine area," said Moreno.
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While Rodarte is still recovering in the hospital, his mother says she grows concerned as the alleged shooter is still at large.
"This is his family, this is his home. He’s here every day," said Moreno. "It’s been really hard but I think more than anything catching this person is the main priority for me right now because he’s still out there."
