Marcelino Calixto Pastrana, a 27-year-old male from Castroville, was struck by gunfire on the night of June 26, 2025, in the parking lot behind the Castroville Market on Merritt Street. Deputies were first alerted around 8:56 p.m., and investigators later identified the lot behind the market as the likely crime scene. Pastrana and a second victim, a 17-year-old boy from Salinas, managed to reach a hospital on their own; Pastrana died later that night while the teen remained in critical
condition.
Detectives soon learned the shooting unfolded during an attempted robbery. According to details later described in court documents and by authorities, four men were sitting in a car when two suspects approached and opened fire, hitting two of the occupants.
In mid-July, investigators arrested a 17-year-old boy in Castroville on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery, conspiracy, and gang enhancements. The arrest was coordinated by Monterey County Sheriff’s detectives with assistance from the U.S. Marshals; a firearm was recovered during the service of search warrants at locations in Castroville and Watsonville, and the suspect was booked into Juvenile Hall.
Detectives also identified a second juvenile suspect and, in the interest of public safety, took the unusual step of releasing his name and description: 17-year-old Isaiah Rodriguez, considered armed and dangerous and wanted on a murder warrant connected to Pastrana’s killing. Authorities said an outstanding firearm was still at large and urged the public to help locate Rodriguez. As of the latest updates in July, the search for him was ongoing.
Local outlets continued to chronicle the case as a homicide investigation that shook the agricultural town of Castroville, noting the quick work by deputies to trace the shooting back to the market lot and the community appeals for information to bring those responsible to justice.
