IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) - The Mayor of Imperial Beach joined about a dozen employees from City Hall in a traditional “paddle out” for a fellow city employee who was murdered in Mexico last month.
More than 30 more employees watched from the IB Pier in honor of Doug Bradley, the city’s administrative services director.Bradley was shot in Ixtapa, Mexico last month while on vacation.
Mexican investigators said Bradley “contracted the services of a woman” at a bar. They said he returned to the bar and fought to get his money back.
He apparently thought he was robbed. That’s when he was shot. Mexican authorities arrested a man they believe pulled the trigger.
“Somehow doing something stupid really caught up with Doug,” said Mayor Serge Dedina. “But that doesn’t take away from remarkable life that he had, his love for this city, his love for public service, his love for life, and the love we had for him.”
More than 30 people walked more than a mile from City Hall to participate in the memorial. Most watched from the pier.
Others paddled out to the south side of the pier and joined hands in a circle while floating on their surfboards. “It’s really a way of honoring someone’s connection with the ocean, someone’s connection with the surfing community, and with the beach,” said Dedina.
“I thought it was perfect. That was fantastic,” said Marty Bradley who carried a box of his brother’s ashes during the memorial. Marty Bradley said he plans to spread the ashes over several beaches around the world.
