Killer stomped on face of East Bradenton 'ice cream man' after shooting him and fled scene

East Bradenton shooting victim was neighborhood 'ice cream man'

EAST BRADENTON -- Jose Luis Mendoza-Aguilar, known simply as "the ice cream man" in the small neighborhood of Manatee Trailer Park on Bradenton's east side, was shot to death Saturday where he sold his treats.

The shooting, which followed an argument, occurred at 5:52 p.m. Saturday near the corner of 23rd Street East and Sixth Avenue Drive East, according to neighbors.

The assailant, who fled in a gold or silver super-duty pickup, was still at large Sunday afternoon, authorities said. He is described as a dark-skinned Hispanic male, short, with a thin build, dark hair and in his late 20s. He possibly has a tattoo on his arm and was last seen wearing an orange cut-off, sleeveless shirt with black lettering on the back, light blue jeans and dirty work boots.

Neighborhood residents said they are stunned by Saturday's violence.

"He sold ice cream and lollipops from a cart," Esbeyda Agustin, who lives across the street from where shooting took place with her children and mother, said of the victim. "He was just trying to make some money."

Bradenton Police Lt. James Racky said witnesses described the brutal nature of Mendoza-Aguilar's killing.

"Bradenton police officers and detectives spoke to several witnesses who stated that the victim and suspect began to argue when the suspect pulled out a handgun and shot the victim several times. After the victim fell to the ground, the suspect walked up and stomped on the victim's face," Racky said in a statement.

Mendoza-Aguilar was alive when medics arrived and had facial lacerations as well as gunshot wounds, Racky said. He underwent surgery at Blake Medical Center but died at 11:09 p.m. Mendoza-Aguilar's next of kin, who resides in Mexico, was contacted Sunday.

Agustin said she is especially upset by the shooting because the neighborhood is active with children.

"There are a lot of kids here," Agustin said. "There are little kids who witnessed the shooting. They were running toward the car that fled. They were trying to help, but are little kids. What can they do?"

Agustin said she didn't witness the shooting and didn't know Mendoza-Aguilar by name. She said she thought he had been living in Oneco.

"I wasn't here," Augustin said. "But my brother, his wife, and my sister were out here, and he mentioned that it was an argument that started. They were going to fight physically. And then, someone got in the middle because they didn't want them to fight. The one guy who had the gun went to get it in the truck. There was a guy in the middle. He fired across the guy in the middle, and they just left. It's horrible they don't want to talk and help that poor guy."

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Bradenton Police Department Detective James Curulla at 941-747-3011, ext. 2224. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers at 866-634-8477 (TIPS) or send an anonymous tip at www.manateecrimestoppers.com.

Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.

This story was originally published October 18, 2015 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Killer stomped on face of East Bradenton 'ice cream man' after shooting him and fled scene."