Rolando Almonte, 23, was shot and killed in Philadelphia on November 23, 2011. Reports place the killing on the 1300 block of South 15th Street in South Philadelphia and say it occurred on a Wednesday night while he was preparing to close the doors of a bodega he owned or operated. A Spanish-language account identified him as Rolando Antonio Lugo Almonte and said he had come to Philadelphia from the Dominican Republic, leaving parents Cecilia de Jesús Almonte and Rolando Antonio Lugo in the Los Caimoníes community of Santiago Rodríguez.

The shooter was described as masked; family members reportedly suspected the shooting may have followed a dispute, but public reports give no detailed account of what led to the attack. The Spanish-language report said his remains were expected to be returned to the Dominican Republic for funeral services.