‘We miss that person being there with us’: Family of slain son offering reward to find his killers

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A family is offering a $5,000 reward for information on their son’s killers. It’s been over a year since 21-year-old Isaac Rodriguez was shot and killed while getting out of his car in the Richmond Highway area.

The family spoke with 8News on Tuesday about the pain that they say is still as fresh as it was the day their son was killed.

“It’s no words,” said Jose Rodriguez, Isaac’s father. “We miss that person being there with us.”

Officials with the Richmond Police Department say there are no leads as to who the suspects are. With the holiday season here, they are hoping the reward will prompt someone to come forward with answers.

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“I know it’s not much money, but people can use it for anything to help us to resolve this case,” Rodriguez said. “[If] they help us, who knows? Maybe they help another family.”

On Aug. 8, 2021, Rodriguez and his girlfriend were getting out of his car on Richmond highway near Courtland street when two suspects shot him, according to police. The suspects then fired shots at his girlfriend but she got away.

Rodriguez’s case is just one of 51 unsolved homicides in 2021, according to the Richmond Police Department.

“There has been a lot of violent crime in the 4100 block of Richmond Highway in the last several years,” said Sgt. John Flores, an investigator with the Major Crimes Unit for Richmond Police. “No one has come forward in this very condensed, very small area with lots of residents. No one has come forward with any information.”

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To make matters even worse, Isaac’s girlfriend — who gave the initial description of the suspects — died in a car accident months later.

“Unfortunately, the girlfriend did die in a motor vehicle accident six months later. That is one asset we no longer have access to,” Flores said.

Rodriguez says before his son died, he loved working on cars.

“I thought he was going to be a carpenter like me, but he decided to be a mechanic,” he said. “He was excited working for a big company.”

(Courtesy of the Richmond Police Department)

(Courtesy of the Richmond Police Department)

Rodriguez says he hopes someone will find it in their heart to help him and his family.

“We are right now hurt,” he said. “If the community helps each other, I think we can prevent anything [more] from happening.”

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Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Richmond Police Department’s Public Affairs at 804-646-0607.