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OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE
| INCIDENT: | Death of recent shooting victim/Recent violence in Oxnard |
| DATE/TIME: | April 8, 2017 |
| LOCATION: | King Street/Wooley Road |
| VICTIM: | Angel Ortiz Ramirez, 32-Year old Oxnard resident |
| PREPARED BY: | Eric S. Sonstegard, Assistant Police Chief |
| CONTACT PERSON AND CONTACT INFO: | Alex Arnett, Major Crimes Sergeant |
DETAILS:
A 32 year old Oxnard resident, who was gunned down in the 1000 block of King Street, has died.
The shooting occurred on April 8, 2017, just before 10:00 pm. The Oxnard Police Department responded to the scene after receiving numerous 911 calls of a shooting victim. Oxnard police officers arrived and located the victim, later identified as Angel Ortiz Ramirez, lying in the street. Ramirez was quickly transported to the Ventura County Medical Center by ambulance. Despite lifesaving efforts by the medical staff, Ramirez succumbed to his injury.
Angel Ramirez leaves behind four young children. He was also involved in the community as a little league baseball coach and a youth basketball coach. Investigators are still trying to determine why Ramirez was targeted and why he was killed. Major Crimes Investigators are investigating the shooting as a homicide. If anyone has information or knowledge on the murder of Angel Ortiz Ramirez, please contact Detective Steven Ramirez at (805) 385-7760.
This is Oxnard’s sixth homicide of the year and continues a rash of violent activity that has occurred within the city the last thirty (30) days.
- On March 13th, 44-year old Raul Mandujano was shot and killed in the 100 block of Dolores Court.
- On March 27th, 17-year old Luis Rodriguez was shot and killed while he rode his skateboard in the 400 block of N. Bonita Avenue.
- On April 12th, 22-year old Andres Rocha was shot and killed while riding his bicycle in the area of Featherstone Street and San Gorgonio Avenue.
Investigators noted that all four (4) of the recent homicides have occurred in the late evening hours after 9:00 p.m. and a majority of them appear to have been gang-related.
While the Oxnard Police Department has continued to investigate these recent homicides, the City of Oxnard continues to experience an uptick in violent crime in several neighborhoods. The Department has been focusing efforts on four neighborhoods in particular: Southwinds, La Colonia, Lemonwood, and Hull/Isleton. While overall Part One crime in Oxnard was down 12.9% through the first quarter of 2017, violent crime increased 3.4% during that time period. These violent crime increases included several robberies and aggravated assaults. One particularly disturbing trend has been a rash of carjackings that occurred in which the suspects were juveniles. Arrests have been made by investigators in these cases, including separate incidents involving 12-year old female and 13-year old male suspects.
Oxnard Police Chief Scott Whitney stated: “We are committed to having extra resources in each of our affected neighborhoods. We have experienced spikes in violent crime in the past and we address them through a combination of increased enforcement and community assistance. When those involved are of such young age, it’s incumbent on all our community partners to come together to find solutions to the violence.”
In response to the recent events, the Oxnard Police Department has deployed extra resources citywide, with emphasis placed upon the affected neighborhoods in an attempt to deter any future violence. Motorcycle officers, bicycle officers, and Neighborhood Policing Team officers are all being deployed this weekend to address specific areas. The Department’s Special Enforcement Unit works seven (7) days a week and continues to focus their efforts in the evening hours to address gang-related issues. Resources from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol have also been assisting, and will be visible in Oxnard this Easter weekend.
Just as importantly, the Oxnard Police Department needs the help and assistance of their community partners to assist in breaking this cycle of violence. The Department has a series of community engagement efforts planned over the next week:
- Neighborhood officers will be walking through selected neighborhoods and handing out flyers to residents, requesting their assistance with the recent violence. The Department has developed a new violent crimes hotline where any information related to recent incidents can be called or texted in to (805) 394-8370. Information can also be emailed to investigators at confidential@oxnardpd.org.
- The Department will be holding community outreach events at the following locations:
- Wednesday, April 19th, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Camino Del Sol Park
- Thursday, April 20th, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Hobson Park
Residents are invited to stop by to talk with Oxnard P.D. personnel and learn about community resources available for youth, parents, and families. Additional information will be made available about these events early next week.
- Oxnard Police Department personnel will be on local Spanish radio stations on Monday to provide awareness and prevention tips for local parents.
The Oxnard Police Department needs and greatly appreciates the public’s assistance in solving the above cases, and encourages the public to continue to report suspicious activity; it is often the public’s actions that have been of great help in addressing crime.
DATE / TIME PREPARED: 4/14/2017 2:00 p.m.