Family mourning Nash County man killed in officer-involved shooting
Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said he believes body-cam footage will show what happened before deputies fatally shot a man early Saturday. Family members identified the man as 28-year-old Jonathan Ramirez.
Posted — UpdatedSheriff Keith Stone said the the agency received a call about a person with a weapon and a possible assault on a woman.
Deputies shot at a man when they saw him get out of a car with a weapon that looked like an AR-15, Stone said.
The man died at the scene, Chief Deputy Brandon Medina said in a Facebook post.
Family members identified the man as Jonathan Ramirez, 28.
"He would never shoot at police, he would never shoot at nobody," Francisa Ramirez, Jonathan Ramirez’s mother, said.
Francisa Ramirez said she ran outside when she heard gunfire and saw her son on the ground.
“I heard some shooting and ran outside, and my son was on the (ground),” Francisa Ramirez said. “My niece was screaming, ‘the police shot Johnny, the police shot Johnny.’”
“He was laying on the floor with a lot of blood in his chest,” she continued.
Stone said three officers were involved and are on administrative leave. The State Bureau of Investigation is examining the case, he said, and an internal investigation at the sheriff's office has begun.
Leonel Valencia Jr., a neighbor, said bullets went through his home.
“There are holes above my couch, about five inches above where someone’s head would be if they were sitting down,” he said.
He said he knew Jonathan Ramirez since the two were children.
“He was a great guy, wouldn’t hurt no one,” Valencia said. “He is like a brother.”
Hors after Jonathan Ramierez's death, family members were still emotional and trying to understand what led to the shooting.
"I've been crying all day. It's just really crazy," his cousin, Cianca Castillo, said. "He was a really sweet guy. He would always ask you how you are, if you needed anything."
Francisa Ramirez said she didn’t believe her son would try to hurt law enforcement officers. She said she didn't hear a disturbance before the shooting and didn't think her son was armed.
"I want justice for my son. When someone calls the police, it's for police to come and protect us, not to come and kill us," she said.
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