The Turlock Police Department continues to investigate the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old man outside a food processing plant in an industrial area of Turlock as the family of the victim prepares for his memorial.

Miguel Uvaldo Rodriguez Villalpando, 21, of Livingston was shot in the head around 8:30 p.m. June 16. Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Steve Rodrigues said VillalPando was on the sidewalk next to Foster Farms’ turkey plant when he was shot. The area is right next to a break area enclosed with chain link fencing.

The first officers arriving at the scene in the 500 Block of W. F Street found Villalpando. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died from the gunshot wound.

The police department said the suspect fled the area in a vehicle, but no descriptions were available. No weapon was recovered at the scene.

Maira Gomez-Alvarez, whose daughter was Villalpando’s niece, said the 21-year-old had started work at Foster Farms just two days prior.

“Most of his employment history is in farm labor which shows his willingness to work hard to get what he wanted,” Gomez-Alvarez wrote in a message to the Journal’s Facebook page. “He was a respectful young man who loved his mother dearly.”

Villalpando is survived by his mother Jacquelin Villalpando, his brother Giovanni Villalpando and his sister Denise Mendez. His memorial service is set for 10 a.m. today at Allen Mortuary. A GoFundMe page has been established to help with funeral expenses. It can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/MiguelVillalpando.

Anyone who has any information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Brandon Bertram at 664-7323.