An innocent high school student was senselessly shot and killed on the streets of Chicago while walking to school. Pedro Ramirez, 17, died on Tuesday morning after gunfire erupted in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the city's South Side.
Details of the Shooting
The shooting occurred just before 8 a.m. when a stolen black Jeep Cherokee carrying multiple masked assailants opened fire on two men inside a red minivan, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. The two men, aged 61 and 55, were shot but managed to drive away and seek help. Emergency responders transported them to a nearby hospital. The 55-year-old has since been released, and the 61-year-old remains in stable condition.
However, the teenager was caught in the crossfire and sustained life-threatening injuries. The police report noted that Ramirez was struck on the right side and was pronounced dead less than an hour later at a local children's hospital.
Family's Grief
Asucena Velazquez, Pedro's mother, told local ABC affiliate WLS that there was "too much violence in the streets" after her son's tragic death. She described him as a kind young man who was on the honor roll at school. "It never crossed my mind that my boy would get hurt going to school," she said. "They robbed my son of his future."
Pedro's girlfriend, Adelynn Peña, struggled to cope. "One point, you're just talking, and then from another, he's just gone. And it is very hard to just, like, put that in your mind just that you're never going to see him again."
Mario Rosales, Pedro's best friend, added: "He always said, 'I will never miss school unless I'm very sick, or unless I'm dying.' He actually died, so it really hurts my heart about those words that he said now."
Investigation and Witness Accounts
It is unclear if the four assailants were targeting the two men in the red minivan. After the shooting was reported, police chased the stolen Jeep, but three of the individuals escaped on foot. The Chicago Police Department confirmed to the Daily Mail that one individual has been apprehended and is being investigated as a person of interest. Charges have yet to be filed as of Wednesday afternoon, and authorities have not released their identity.
A witness told WLS that she saw concerned bystanders rush to Pedro when he was shot before police arrived. "I don't think that boy was doing anything bad. I think he was going to school. He had a backpack. He was still a baby," she said.
A tire shop employee named Leo told WLS that the two male victims pulled into the store for help after they were shot. "I saw a car at high speed, coming down the alley with a flat tire, so first thing I thought, it was a customer looking to get a tire repair."
Witnesses who spoke to WLS said they did not want to be interviewed on camera out of fear.
Community Response
Pedro's stepmother, Eloisa Garcia, told Fox 32 Chicago that his mother raised him on her own after his father died. A GoFundMe has been set up for the family. The Daily Mail has reached out to city officials for the police report.
