por 
ALFREDO AZCARATE VARELA
THE BAJA POST/EDITOR
Antonio Sunshine Rodriguez, San Felipe Fishery entrepreneur and fishing community leader, passed away, victim of an armed assault perpetrated by four men wearing ski masks, in broad daylight, before noon in Mexicali’s “Independencia” neighborhood, which is one of the most densely populated areas in Mexicali, and where he used to go almost every Saturday, to sell fish, shrimp and other seafood delicacies.
At about 8 O’clock at night, there was another attempt against a man identified as “Parra´s brother” in San Felipe, as social network was flooded with posts asking about gunshots heard, and it turned out it was a murder attempt against two men identified as Carlos García Ávila y Gastón Eduardo Parra Aispuro according to Police reports and information on social media and Internet news outlets.
FGE reports point out that four individuals, wearing ski masks of sorts, opened fire against the fishing leader, rumor has it there were about 70 shots made, and that Sunshine was declared dead a while afterwards at Mexicali General Hospital
According to Baja California State Attorney Office (FGE) head, María Elena Adrade, Sunshine was selling his products at around 11:30 Saturday morning, when he was attacked and killed, then at about the time she was on a Press Conference, the shootout in San Felipe occurred.
Sunshine was a controversial character, he was the leader of a San Felipe fishery workers union, and he had faced accusations and was wrongly imprisoned, and cleared pf all charges, declared innocent, as he had been accused as allegedly involved in Totoaba bladder trafficking.
It is said that the four masked assailants arrived at the corner of Río Presidio avenue and Víctor Rosales street in a white pickup truck and opened fire on Rodríguez Peña, about an hour earlier, the former fishermen’s leader had done a live broadcast on his Facebook profile from the location where he was attacked, as he was selling fish, unaware of what was about to happen.
Selling fish and other sea delicacies was a routine he frequently followed in Mexicali, mostly on Saturdays. In November 2020, Sunshine Rodríguez was linked to a trial alongside five other individuals for charges of organized crime and environmental crimes. In February 2023, he was granted freedom after being acquitted of all accusations.
