Ricky and three other young men had traveled from Richmond to enjoy the beach and summer weather in L.A. While driving along the Figueroa Corridor in a silver Cadillac, they were aggressively tailgated by a dark sedan with heavily tinted windows. After making several turns to evade the vehicle, it became clear they were being deliberately followed. 

Ricky and another passenger, unarmed, exited their vehicle and approached the sedan with their hands raised, palms visible, asking why they were being followed. Without warning or any identification as law enforcement, a single gunshot was fired from behind the sedan’s tinted driver’s window, striking Ricky in the chest and killing him. The driver of the Cadillac, unaware that the shooter was a police officer, fled the scene in fear.

Ricky’s father, Ricardo Ramirez Sr., shared:

“Ricky was my only son. He made everyone around him feel loved. He had just graduated and had his whole life ahead of him. The LAPD took that away—hiding behind tinted glass, giving no warning. His only crime was being young and a person of color. This must stop.”