The 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed in a robbery attempt Tuesday in Koreatown was a local resident who went to Felícitas and Gonzalo Méndez High School in Boyle Heights. The school memorialized Dylan Ramírez, an 11th grader, with an Instagram post on Friday:
Some social media posts have identified the teen as Dylan Ramirez Castro. The victim’s older brother, Alejandro Castro, told KABC7 that the siblings grew up without a father and that Dylan wanted to be an electrician after high school.
“He still had a lot of life left and a lot of plans,” said Alejandro Castro.
Various media outlets reported that the shooting happened on 7th Street, between Berendo Street and New Hampshire Avenue, around 10:30 p.m.
Police say the shooting happened when Dylan was in the passenger seat of a car driven by a friend and a man approached them with a gun and attempted to rob them. When they refused to hand over their belongings, the man opened fire and shot the 17-year-old in the head.
The driver attempted to take Dylan to the hospital and on the way flagged down police officers outside a 7-Eleven store on Olympic Boulevard in the Pico-Union neighborhood. Officers attempted to render medical aid but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect remains at large and no description was available.
On Thursday, administrators at Méndez High School held a minute of silence in Dylan’s memory and told students that grief counselors would be available for those affected by the student’s death.
The Instagram account @boylehts, which reported that Dylan went to Mendez, also said that he attended Hollenbeck Middle School.
A GoFundMe fundraiser account started by the victim’s brother to help pay for his funeral was close to reaching its goal on Thursday.
The Ramírez family is also hosting a food sale on Saturday, April 15, at 8 am, to help with funeral costs. The sale will take place at 2452 Folsom Street.
BHB youth reporter Adrian Casillas Sáenz contributed to this story. This story was updated on April 14 to add details on the family’s fundraiser.
