Miguel Angel Padilla Franco, a 33-year-old man from Houston, was killed in the early morning hours of April 4, 2026, outside Paradise City Gentleman’s Club at 12330 Gulf Freeway, near Fuqua Street. The shooting happened around 5 a.m., after what police described as a disturbance that began inside the club and spilled into the parking lot. By the time officers arrived, the scene was chaotic, with a large crowd gathered outside and multiple people down.
Investigators said someone opened
fire into the crowd in the parking lot. Miguel was struck and died at the scene. Another person was also shot and survived with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police later said Miguel appeared to have been an innocent bystander and was not believed to have been involved in the dispute that led to the gunfire.
To the people who loved him, Miguel was known as “Mike,” and in Houston’s slab car community he was known as “Nawfside Linco.” Friends and relatives described him as a familiar, beloved presence in that scene, someone tied closely to Houston’s customized car culture and remembered as generous, upbeat, and the life of the party. After his death, loved ones gathered to honor him with a vigil and later a funeral procession filled with customized cars, a tribute they said matched the passion he carried in life.
His wife, Monica Castillo, later spoke publicly about the pain of losing him, saying he died in her arms after the shooting. The grief around his death spread beyond his immediate family, especially among members of the slab community who knew him through car gatherings, friendships, and the identity he built around his Lincoln and his North Houston roots.
Houston police released surveillance images and footage as part of the investigation and said they wanted to question six persons of interest: three men and three women. Authorities said the group may have been connected to the earlier altercation inside the club before the violence moved outside. Police also said two vehicles may be associated with them, described as a red or maroon sedan and a white SUV.
As of the latest available reports, no arrests had been announced, and police had not publicly named a suspect or suspects. Investigators said they were reviewing surveillance footage, collecting evidence including ballistics, and looking for witnesses who could help identify the people involved. A security guard who returned fire during the incident was detained, questioned, and released without charges after police said he was cooperating. The case remained under investigation, with authorities asking anyone with information about the persons of interest or the shooting to contact homicide detectives or Crime Stoppers.
