Who is HoodFishing? All about the YouTuber in the wake of the Fort Myers shooting

Rasheel Bailey, a.k.a. HoodFishing, the CEO of HoodFishing Entertainment, was a victim of a shooting in his hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Per the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD), which identified the victim, the incident took place along Martin Luther King Boulevard and Michigan Avenue on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

As his company's name suggests, Bailey is a fisher based in South-West Florida who went viral earlier this year for catching a shark with his bare hands.

Per an update by Chris Zaldain, an influencer and friend of Rasheens, the HoodFishing CEO confirmed he was involved in a "tragic accident" but added he was "going to be ok." In his update shared on Instagram, he wrote —

"My man @hoodfishing_entertainment was involved in a tragic incident that left him in the hospital yesterday. I spoke with someone close to Rasheen’s family and rest assured, they are taking good care of him privately. He is going to be ok. Praying for a speedy recovery, bro."

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HoodFishing used to play varsity football in high school

Born and raised in South Florida, Rasheel graduated from Cape Coral High School in 2015. Per his website, while he played varsity football in high school from 2012 to 2014, he found a new interest in fishing.

Bailey went viral earlier this year in a clip that was shared on his IG account featuring the 28-year-old YouTuber grabbing a shark's dorsal fin and later releasing it into the gulf waters. He currently has 745k Instagram followers and even has a YouTube channel with over 280k subscribers.

Per his social media accounts, Bailey started his company sometime around 2020. According to Bailey's website, HoodFishing Entertainment offers opportunities for people to come on a fishing trip to SW Florida. It described Rasheel as —

"A kid from the hood that has started a social media account to document and share his life of fishing and building."

Besides his various adventurous clips across various South Florida locations, the 28-year-old provides lessons on fishing. Per the website, Bailey's goal is to become an industry professional. A dedicated fisher, his socials are filled with awards and game trophies of fish and other animals he has hunted.

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HoodFishing was traveling in a red Honda Sonata that crossed the median and crashed after it was shot at

Per an NBC 2 article citing a police report, Rasheel was traveling in a red Honda Sonata after being shot at. Per the report, eyewitnesses told law enforcement officers someone in a Ford Expedition fired at oncoming traffic.

The shooting led to the Honda veering off course, crossing the median, and subsequently crashing into a Ford F-150. Janet Maiocco, who was driving in a vehicle directly behind the F-150, witnessed the crash. Maiocco told the News Channel that HoodFishing, who was bleeding from his face, ran towards her, asking her to call 911.

According to FMPD officers, they saw Bailey getting out of a Gold Toyota Hylander to flag them down and explain he was shot. They found the YouTuber with multiple gunshot wounds, applied a tourniquet, and then rushed him to a nearby hospital.

According to the NBC2 crew that was present on the scene, the sedan's windows were shattered and had four bullet holes on the passenger side of the car. FMPD later released a photo of a vehicle of interest—a Ford Expedition—on their official Facebook page, asking for any information on the incident.