Ramon Amendariz Jr., a 16-year-old Hispanic male, was fatally shot in the early hours of Sunday, December 21, 2025, in the parking lot of the Hamlet Shopping Center on Dumas Drive in Amarillo, Texas. He had been at a birthday party earlier that evening; a fight from the gathering spilled into the shopping center lot and escalated to gunfire. Officers on patrol heard shots and found Ramon with gunshot wounds. He received medical attention but died of his injuries.

The Amarillo Police Department Homicide Unit opened an immediate investigation and a suspect was taken into custody; authorities have not released the suspect’s identity or arrest details. Ramon’s family and community are left mourning a young life ended during what began as a celebration.

If anyone was at the birthday party or in the Hamlet Shopping Center parking lot that night and has information, please share what you know.