By Owen Boss
Staff Writer
Northampton - A city man was shot and killed in the Dominican Republic earlier this week when he accidentally entered the wrong house the night before his sister's wedding.
Josefina Rodriguez has taken her two sons to the Caribbean country to attend the funeral of their father, Hipolito Rodriguez, according to Mary Cowhey of Northampton, co-founder of Families with Power, a group that supports low-income schoolchildren of color in the Northampton area.
"I spoke with her a couple of days ago when she first heard of his death and asked her if she thought she would need our support now or when they come back to Northampton," Cowhey said. "She told us she was OK right now and she just wanted to focus on getting herself and the boys to the Dominican Republic and that she'd need some help when she gets back."
An online directory listed Hipolito and Josefina Rodriguez as residents of 178 Florence Road.
Jackson Street School principal Gwen Agna recently notified faculty and staff members that Hipolito was shot the night before his sister's wedding when he went into the wrong house and was mistaken for an intruder, according to a report published on MassLive.com.
Cowhey said Josefina Rodriguez is very active in Families With Power. Cowhey said when she and her two sons, Joseury, a first-grader, and Reneury, a fourth-grader, come home the nonprofit group will be there to lend a helping hand. "It is a custom in the Dominican Republic for the family to come together and pray for nine days after something like this," Cowhey said. "That is probably what she is doing, I think that's the stage of the grieving process that they are in."
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com
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