Ricardo Meza-Ramirez was 17 and a student at Cary High School when he died from a gunshot wound on November 26, 2023. Early that morning he walked into a local hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. The shooting happened in the 3500 block of Tricenter Boulevard in Durham; police describe the incident as isolated.

Durham authorities arrested 22-year-old John Carvajal Campos and charged him with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Meza-Ramirez’s death. Campos was held on a $10,000 secured bond and released after posting bail. Friends of both young men said they were longtime friends and suggested the shooting may have been accidental. Ricardo’s mother, Maria Ramirez, called him her only son and described him as happy, outgoing, and a soccer lover; community members raised nearly $2,000 via GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses. The Durham Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances of the shooting.

Did anyone in the Durham area know Ricardo or have information about what happened that morning?