An illegal immigrant from Mexico was identified as the suspect who was fatally shot when he tried to carjack a Texas father who was defending his family.
Jose Ramirez, 30, is accused of trying to steal several cars off Highway 66, about 18 miles outside downtown Dallas, before he was shot and killed on Sunday, according to Fox 4 Dallas.
Investigators told the outlet that Ramirez was a Mexican national living in the US illegally and wasn’t a Garland resident. It is not known when or where Ramirez entered the US.
New video confirmed by the Garland Police Department shows a Texas father fatally shooting an illegal immigrant from Mexico during an attempted carjacking.
The Post has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ramirez allegedly crashed into two cars near Highway 66 and Dairy Road around 3:30 p.m.
He fled to a nearby gas station, where he was accused of trying to take several vehicles by force, according to Garland police.
Surveillance footage obtained by Fox 4 Dallas showed Ramirez approach the victim’s white Impala in a convenience store parking lot across the street, where he had tried to make his getaway.
Officers responded as Jose Ramirez, 30, forcibly tried to carjack the man’s vehicle before he fired shots at Ramirez. Garland police Lt. Pedro Barineau described the father’s actions during the shooting as “self-defense.”
Ramirez prompted the father, who had been sitting in the driver’s seat, to exit the vehicle while “several children and two adult females” were inside.
Video shows a struggle ensued between the two as a young boy and the rest of the family bolted from the car to safety.
The father then drew his firearm and fired more than 10 rounds at the suspect.
Ramirez was rushed to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The father stayed at the scene, cooperated with investigators and turned over his weapon to officers to aid in their investigation.
The father is not expected to face any charges, police said.
“That driver was defending himself and was fighting with that suspect,” Barineau said. “We are looking at this as a self-defense case. We’re also looking into why this suspect did what he did.”
Garland Smoke and Vape manager Tatiana Starks, who witnessed the shooting from a nearby shopping center, said the suspect was “not in the right state of mind.”
“You could definitely tell that he was not in his right state of mind. I’m just glad that the man was able to protect himself and his family,” Starks told Fox 4 Dallas. “It’s just a blessing that the kids and the family walked away with no injuries.”
