15-year-old boy shot and killed Friday in Carson identified
On Monday, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office released the name of a 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed Friday in Carson.
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The teen, from Compton, was identified as Ryan Ramirez. He was at a friend's party when he was shot in the chest and died on the sidewalk.
Martha Sandoval, the young victim's mother, was planning to have a beach barbecue with her eight children on July 4. Instead, the family was at a makeshift memorial on West 233rd Street.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without Ryan," Sandoval told CBSLA.
According to the LA County Sheriff's Department, the shooting occurred at around 11 p.m. in the 200 block of 233rd Street. Investigators said the incident could be gang-related, but the 15-year-old's family said he wasn't in a gang.
"Our volunteering career started when they were very young," Sandoval said.
The single mother said though they too were experiencing tough times, they always made time to help others. She showed pictures of her son, from May, cleaning up the streets of Wilmington with his classmates. He also recently started a job, with his first paycheck going straight to his mother.
"He goes, 'Here, this is to fix your car. It's almost $400. From now on, I'm going to give you all my checks, okay?' And then he told me, 'I'm going to go with my friends, okay?' That's the last time I saw him," Sandoval said.
Investigators do not have anyone in custody right now, but Sandoval said she hopes justice will come to the person who took her son's life. In the meantime, the family has started a campaign to raise funds for the 15-year-old's funeral.
"I don't know why you did this to Ryan," she said. "Whatever your motive was, it wasn't worth it. You took my son away."
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.