Do it Best dealer slain in Mexico

Rafael Fimbres Hernandez, a prominent Mexican businessman who owned six Do it Best hardware stores, was shot to death Jan. 23 while driving near his home in Tijuana. Fimbres, 57, was reportedly en route to the gym at 7:30 a.m. when he was shot in the chest at close range. Fimbres lost control of his Audi A4 and crashed into two other vehicles. An ambulance transported him to Tijuana’s General Hospital, where Fimbres was declared dead.

Initially, the murder was reported as a botched kidnapping attempt. Mexican authorities ruled out any ties to organized crime or drug trafficking, which have resulted in a record number of killings in Tijuana last year.

According to a Jan. 26 news report, Fimbres was the victim of a random street robbery by two suspects who confessed to blocking his car. When Fimbres refused to hand over his wallet and cell phone, they shot him, according to Mexican investigators.

Fimbres and his younger brother, Jorge Fimbres Hernandez, were frequent visitors to Do it Best markets in Indianapolis. Femco Do it Best operates six stores in the Tijuana and Rosarito Beach area. Fimbres’s family, founders of the Calimax supermarket chain in Mexico, was well known for its philanthropic activities.