The family of Ricardo Ortega, a father of four killed outside a west-side Walgreens, pleads for justice as Crime Stoppers offers a $5,000 reward.
SAN ANTONIO — The family of a father of three gunned down outside a west-side Walgreens is pleading for justice as investigators continue searching for his killer.
For the first time, the family of 30-year-old Ricardo Ortega shared their grief in an interview with KENS 5, speaking with us over Zoom from their home in Laredo.
On Nov. 27, 2022, Ortega was sitting in a car outside the Walgreens at West Commerce Street and South General McMullen when police say a dark-colored sedan pulled up.
“My son went to the pharmacy to get money from the ATM,” his mother, Guadalupe Ortega, said. “I don’t know if they jumped him or what. I don’t know.”
After words were exchanged, police say someone opened fire, striking Ortega. He later died from his injuries.
Ortega had moved from Laredo to San Antonio to give his daughters a better life. His family says he was a devoted father who cared for his girls while his wife worked as a teacher.
Relatives said police told them surveillance video indicates the shooting was gang-related.
“In the less than three minutes he was in that car, someone took his life. A stranger,” said his sister, Alicia Ortega. “They took my brother’s life in cold blood. Someone he didn’t know. This causes so much pain in my mother and in his three small daughters.”
Family members say the pain has consumed them. Guadalupe hasn’t been the same since the death of her son.
“Every day, you can see my mom suffering. We can’t bring him back. My mom suffers every day, we all do,” said Alicia. “What’s happened to us is happening to another family. That person is out taking another life because they’re still walking free.”
The family describes Ortega as a good man who put his family first. “He was a good father, a good brother, a good son,” Alicia said.
His oldest daughter recently turned 15, but the milestone quinceañera was never celebrated. “His three daughters will have to grow up without the love and support of their father,” the family said.
Loved ones say Ortega was the kind of person who always stopped to help others. His mother recalled warning him once when he pulled over to assist a stranded driver on the highway. “He just wanted to help people,” she said.
Now, his family says even simple errands feel unsafe. “How can you go to the store, or the bank, and not wonder — like I do now after what happened to my brother — if you’ll even make it back?” said Alicia. “That’s the fear I live with every single day.”
The family is pleading for information that could lead to an arrest.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be made anonymously by calling 210-224-STOP.