By admin 
A taqueria is taking over the Elk Grove restaurant space that has remained closed since a shooting there left two men dead last year.
Read more California gas prices hit new record for 2026 with ‘further increases possible’
Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta is opening its second location at 8409 Elk Grove Florin Road, the former home of Z Town Asian Gastro Bar & Restaurant.
The restaurant’s owners signed a lease Friday for the approximately 2,500-square-foot space, according to Veronica Sukkary, a commercial real estate broker for TRI Commercial Real Estate Services who represented Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta in the transaction.
Z Town never reopened at the site after two men were killed in a shooting in the early morning hours of Nov. 2.
Police said Roderick Randall, the suspect, and another man argued before the confrontation escalated into gunfire. Kim Kha Huynh, 18, and Phuc Minh Vo, 34, died, and two other men were hospitalized.
Read more Frozen meat recalled for hard plastic pieces sent to California restaurants
Randall, 43, was identified as a suspect by Elk Grove police and was on the run until January. He was arrested in Texas after authorities caught him crossing the U.S.-Mexico border using a false identity. He was later sentenced in federal court and served time in federal custody before being turned over to local authorities. In August, the Elk Grove Police Department announced that Randall had been returned to California to face murder charges.
Z Town Asian Gastro Bar did not reopen immediately following the shooting “out of respect for the victims and their loved ones,” the restaurant said in an Instagram post.
The business owners did not respond to The Sacramento Bee’s request for comment.
Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta currently operates at 5105 Laguna Blvd. The business owners did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sukkary said the owners of Taqueria El Puerto De Vallarta will be renovating the space and estimated that the restaurant will open within the next nine months.
Read more Jury decides Kings minority owner Phil Oates must pay $16 million in crash civil case