Josefina Ramos says her son Richard was setup by a girl, after receiving a friend request from her the day before he was shot and killed on the city’s west side.
SAN ANTONIO — This week marks 10 years since 20-year-old Richard Ramos was shot and killed on the city’s west side, a case that remains unsolved and continues to weigh heavily on his family.
Ramos was fatally shot the night of Feb. 11, 2016, after going to meet someone on North Picoso Street near North Zarzamora Street, according to San Antonio police. Officers said Ramos arrived around 9:30 p.m. to meet people he had been communicating with before he was shot. The suspects fled the scene in a green truck, police said.
A decade later, his mother, Josefina Ramos, says the pain of losing her son has not eased.
“I’m not gonna give up,” she said in a recent interview at the spot where her son took his last breath. “I wanna see justice while I’m here on earth.”
Josefina Ramos described her son as kind and loving, someone who was always willing to help friends.
“A lot of people loved him. He had a lot of friends,” she said.
But she believes it was a new online acquaintance who led to his death. According to Josefina Ramos, her son received a friend request the day before he was killed and planned to meet with a group of girls. She said he was shot minutes after sending his last message to this girl.
Police have not publicly identified any suspects. The case remains open.
Josefina Ramos said she remembers arriving at the scene and seeing her son lying on the ground.
“It was the worst, like a nightmare,” she said. “I didn’t think it was really happening. I thought it was a dream. It’s the worst pain you could ever experience.”
Since her son’s death, she said she has struggled with depression, anxiety and ongoing stress.
“I cry every day. It’s like I’m not the same anymore,” she said. “It just leaves you with an emptiness.”
Though she knows an arrest will not bring her son back, Josefina Ramos said holding those responsible accountable would bring her some peace.
“Somebody saw something, somebody knows something, somebody heard something,” she said. “For them to just make a call and help me, and help my son get justice.”
Anyone with information about the killing is asked to contact San Antonio police or Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, and tipsters can remain anonymous.