Eduardo Escobedo, known as El Mago, was fatally shot on November 23, 2023, in an industrial area of Willowbrook near Rosecrans and Towne Avenues. He was 39. Deputies found Escobedo and a second man, 47-year-old Guillermo De Los Angeles Jr., dead at the scene; a third person suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital. Authorities responded to reports of a shooting about 8:30 a.m.

Escobedo had a federal conviction for conspiring to distribute more than 10,000 kilograms of marijuana and for laundering drug proceeds, receiving nearly five years in prison and being released in 2018. He has been described as the primary local marijuana distributor for Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and allegedly laundered earnings by buying exotic cars and shipping them to Culiacán. He later opened a chain of restaurants and food trucks that operated as Benihibachi and were rebranded as Besthibachi amid trademark disputes, while continuing to show a lavish lifestyle on social media.

Sheriff’s officials said a gathering or party had been held at the location from the previous night into the early morning. No arrests have been announced, no suspects identified, and no clear motive established. Did anyone see activity around Rosecrans and Towne Avenues the night of November 22 into the morning of November 23?