Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Bloody March claims third Hispanic merchant

The Tennessean reports in this article that Nashville resident Rodolfo Padilla was killed Saturday in the Hispanic market he owned and operated in Dickson, Tennessee.

"Rodolfo Padilla, 34, owner of La Estrella Grocery Store on Highway 46 was shot in the head about 8:30 p.m. Saturday [March 25] during an attempted armed robbery, police said. He died Sunday afternoon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center."

Padilla was the third Hispanic business owner killed in Middle Tennessee in a span of eight days. On Saturday, March 18, in two separate incidents, Shelbyville businessman Fermin Estrada was shot and killed by police at his backyard barbecue (story here), and La Hacienda owner Aureliano Ceja was beaten to death by an intruder in his Nashville home (story here).

Nashville's police chief Ronal Serpas is meeting with the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce* at 1pm today, according to this brief in the Tennessean. The Chamber's letter of concern to Chief Serpas and its subsequent meeting with police officers (story here) prompted a response from community organizer Juan Canedo, published today in the Hispanic Nashville Notebook (here). Canedo praises Serpas and calls for complaints to be more constructively specific.

"Police said anyone with information can call 441-9592," according to the Tennessean.

*There are two Hispanic chambers of commerce in Nashville: the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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