Vigil held for Reading man, 19, who was fatally shot in City Park

For Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez, Reading’s City Park was the go-to place for kicking a soccer ball, shooting some hoops or just walking out in nature, his sister Guadalupe Tinoco said.

The family lives just a block away, she said, and Tinoco-Villagomez spent time in the park nearly every day.

“I never imagined this place where you can find peace and feel so close — literally a block away — would just happen to be the place where his last breath was going to be,” Tinoco said Friday before a memorial vigil for her brother.

Tinoco-Villagomez, 19, was the victim of a fatal shooting Wednesday in the park.

Vigil organizers said they hope the event will draw attention to the problem of gun violence in the city.

Her younger brother was a kind, gentle and soft-spoken person who kept to himself and kept out of trouble, Tinoco said.

“He would always put others in front of himself,” she said.

A vigil for shooting victim Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez was held Friday in City Park, where Tinoco-Villagomez was shot Wednesday night. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

A 2023 graduate of Reading High School, he was focused and driven, working toward his goal of becoming an electrical engineer, she said, and building a life with his high school sweetheart, Thalia Robles, 17, who will graduate next year.

That her brother could be killed in the local park, in a place that he loved, is so horrible, she said.

“I just want justice,” she said.

A photo of shooting victim Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez and his girlfriend Thalia Robles, 17, is part of a memorial at a vigil Friday in City Park, where Tinoco-Villagomez was shot Wednesday night. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Robles was just 14 and he was 16 when they started dating, her aunt Stacy Robles said.

Three years later, the romance was still strong and they were planning a future together, the elder Robles said.

“They were young, but they were serious,” she said.

Thalia Robles was with her boyfriend’s family Wednesday when Tinoco-Villagomez informed her he was walking in the park and would be home soon, Stacy Robles said.

Only minutes later, she got a second call from Tinoco-Villagomez saying “Babe, I’ve been shot,” the elder Robles said.

Her niece ran to the park, the aunt said, where she found Tinoco-Villagomez near the Dove statue.

Grief stricken, Thalia Robles declined to be interviewed Friday.

Thalia Robles, 17, the girlfriend of shooting victim Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez, is comforted during a vigil Friday in City Park, where Tinoco-Villagomez was shot Wednesday night. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

She stood, expressionless, among friends and family members during the vigil. Later, she sat alone beneath a large shade tree, an opened umbrella at her side as raindrops dampened her hair.

Staring blankly, she seemed to look through mourners lighting the row of candles bordering a makeshift memorial featuring framed photos of Tinoco-Villagomez, many of them with her.

“Rafael was not just a statistic,” said Edna Garcia-Dipini, keynote speaker and one of the organizers of the vigil. “He was a son, a friend, a community member and a young man with dreams and aspirations.”

Garcia-Dipini is the founder of RIZE, a youth support group, and leader of Berks 4 Peace, a youth violence prevention campaign.

Tinoco-Villagomez is the city’s seventh homicide victim this year.

Guadalupe Tinoco, left, the older sister of shooting victim Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez, is comforted by Reading School Board member ShaykayaRira Delrio-Gonzalez, whose son was killed by gun violence three years ago, during a vigil held Friday in City Park, where Tinoco-Villagomez was shot Wednesday night. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

His murder serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address gun violence in the greater Reading community, Garcia-Dipini said.

“Today we stand united in grief, but also in resolve,” she said. “We must transform our pain into purpose and take concrete steps to prevent such tragedies from happening again.”

Other speakers included Councilman Jaime Baez Jr., who represents District 2, which includes the park; Shaykayariza Delrio-Gonzalez, a member of the Reading School Board; Jonathan Guitierrez, a friend and barber of Tinoco-Villagomez; and Seleda Simmons, founder of the Real Deal 610, a grassroots organization that advocates for youth, mental health and formerly convicted persons.

The Rev. Jose Victor Ramirez and Chaplain Ruth Melendez of Iglesia De Pentecostal M.I. Fuente De Restauracion, 301 South Ninth St. delivered a message of hope and led the assembly of about 50 in prayer.

City Councilman Jaime Baez addresses those gathered for a vigil for shooting victim Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez Friday in City Park, where Tinoco-Villagomez was shot Wednesday night. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Several of the messages were delivered in Spanish with English translations. And some speakers called for action from state and city leaders and elected officials.

Delrio-Gonzalez spoke in Spanish of the pain she experienced after her son Francisco Soto Jr., 17, was fatally shot Feb. 23, 2021.

“Ever since I lost my son, I’ve been on a mission to make sure parents don’t have to go through the heartache that I go through,” she said translating her message after the vigil.

To that end, she has organized gun violence awareness events and called for action from city leaders and legislators.

And she is asking for community support.

“I plead to the community to come out and voice what they see,” Delrio-Gonzalez said. “If you see something, say something. It’s as simple as that.”

Police said the shooting happened during a gathering at the park and announced they are looking for information from witnesses.

Anyone with information is asked to call Reading police at 610-655-6116 or Crime Alert Berks County’s anonymous tip line, 877-373-9913. Crime Alert also can be reached by texting keyword “alert berks,” to 847411, or by downloading the Crime Alert mobile app.

A vigil for shooting victim Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez was held Friday in City Park, where Tinoco-Villagomez was shot Wednesday night. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

Bonded by a grief that no mother should have, Delrio-Gonzalez comforted Tinoco-Villagomez’s mother, Maluisa Villagomez. Sobbing and clinging to one another, the two women walked to the memorial where they were joined by Tinoco-Villagomez’s father, Elisio Tinoco, and other family members.

The couple and their daughter huddled together, grieving the death of their youngest child, their only son, their little brother in the park he loved.

“He was amazing,” Guadalupe Tinoco said of her brother. “He was a beautiful soul, pure. He was too beautiful to be in this world.”