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Oakland: Video shows shooting death of mother of 8

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Published  August 15, 2024 2:20pm PDT
Oakland
KTVU FOX 2

Mother of 8 killed in Oakland after confronting teens she accused of selling marijuana vapes

Maria Ramos, 33, a mother of 8, was shot and killed after confronting a carload of teenagers she suspected of selling marijuana vape pens to some of her children

OAKLAND, Calif. - Surveillance footage obtained by KTVU captures the shooting death of a mother of eight in East Oakland who apparently confronted a carload of teens she suspected of selling marijuana vape pens to one of her children.

Maria Ramos, 33, was fatally shot near the intersection of Hilton Street and Bancroft Avenue around 2:20 p.m. on Aug. 7.

Ramos had just gotten out of her mother's Toyota RAV4 and apparently released pepper spray into the back seat of a Toyota carrying the suspects, video shows. A witness and a source close to the investigation also corroborate that.

A 16-year-old boy then got out of the Toyota and opened fire, killing Ramos.

Her mother, who drove off after having a gun pointed at her, came back and found her daughter motionless.

Mom of 8 fatally shot after pepper-spraying suspects

A mother of eight is dead after being fatally shot moments after pepper-spraying a carload of suspects.

"I started rubbing her chest and telling her, ‘Breathe, Lupita, breathe! Like, we still need you. You have 8 kids.’ And she tried," Velasco said.

SEE ALSO: 20-year-old convicted felon charged in Oakland shooting of sleeping father

The alleged shooter was arrested and is being held at Alameda County Juvenile Hall. His name was withheld because of his age. 

Isaiah Gomez, 19, the alleged driver, was charged by Alameda County prosecutors with being an accessory in the case.

The incident began when Ramos, visiting from Los Angeles, and her mother Blanca Velasco saw the Toyota near Velsaco's home and suspected the occupants of selling marijuana vape pens to one of Ramos' children, Velasco told KTVU.

"Our plan was to tell them, stop coming to our house," Velasco said.

Now, Ramos' seven daughters, ages 1 to 15 and 7-year-old son are trying to contemplate life without their mother, who herself had kicked a drug habit many years ago, Velasco said.

"She was a cheerful person, a very lovable person to her and her kids. You know she was very lovable. She liked taking her kids out all the time. Her kids were her world to her," Velasco said.

"She left her eight kids, and that's really hard," the victim's aunt Carmen Beltran said through tears.

"They should change the way they live over here. We don't have to be killing people for no reason, you know?" Beltran said. "There's another way to fix the problem. You have some problem with somebody, you don't have to shoot nobody."

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.