Once again, another innocent life has been lost because of the government’s failure to secure and protect their lethal firearms. The Ramos family sued the federal government on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, in the United States District Court for the Northern District to pursue justice for the death of their son Antonio Ramos, a.k.a. “Tony”, a twenty-seven year old man senselessly shot and killed with a stolen Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) firearm while volunteer painting an anti-violence mural in downtown Oakland on September 29, 2015.
“From what we know, the gun was left in a bag in plain sight in a car parked in the SOMA neighborhood, which is a high-theft, high-crime area. It wasn’t in a lock box or secured or even put in the trunk of the car. These are all steps that could have been taken to keep a lethal firearm out of the hands of a known-gang member and prior convicted felon,” said Alison Cordova of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, the law firm representing the Ramos family.
“Unfortunately, this is a rampant, agency-wide problem for ICE that has been well-documented for nearly a decade. Despite ICE’s knowledge and awareness of the problem and despite recommendations by other government agencies for corrective action, ICE agents continue to have their unsecured firearms stolen at alarming rates,” said Frank Pitre of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy.
The Ramos family asks that the media respect its privacy as they mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother. Their hope is that ICE will finally be held accountable and change their policies to better safeguard the lethal weapons that are entrusted to their care, ultimately for our safety and protection.
