Ricardo Mercado-Garcia, 32, was shot to death on October 11, 2021, while driving his pickup truck southbound on South Grener Avenue near Frost Avenue in Prairie Township, Columbus, Ohio. Authorities say an unknown person in a dark-colored car opened fire on Mercado-Garcia’s vehicle; he was struck in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger escaped and ran for help at a nearby home. A neighbor reported hearing gunshots and seeing the pickup crash into a privacy fence around 3:30 a.m.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office led the homicide investigation with assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. As of the report shortly after the shooting, no arrests had been made and detectives asked anyone with information to contact the Detective Bureau. Mercado-Garcia’s family remembered him as a skilled carpenter, painter, remodeler, tiler and handyman who enjoyed nightlife, concerts, dancing, rodeos, lowriders and carne asadas, and who spent time with his girlfriend, Ruby.

Did anyone in the area hear or see anything that night that could help identify the vehicle or shooter?