Ricardo Trujillo Ramirez was 16 when he was shot and killed on September 24, 2021, on the 900 block of Pine Street in Compton. He was leaving a party with friends around midnight when a confrontation with another group led to a fight and someone produced a gun; Ricardo died at the scene. Family and friends describe him as kind, not involved in gangs or drugs, an outstanding student and a United States Cadet Corps member who had been praised for saving a fellow cadet.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has struggled to develop leads. A reward of $10,000 from the department plus $5,000 from Ricardo’s cadet program totals $15,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Ricardo’s mother, Norma Ramirez, has appealed publicly for justice, and his girlfriend, Gabriela Santiago, said he texted her that night expressing a sense of foreboding. Authorities believe the suspects were not gang-affiliated, leaving the motive unclear.

If anyone knew Ricardo or has information about the confrontation on Pine Street that night, please come forward.