Left: Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez, seen holding his son, was shot and killed May 16, 2024, on a Metro bus in Los Angeles (Via Sarahi Lopez). Right: Sarahi Lopez discusses her husband’s death with reporters. (KTLA/YouTube)
A man on a Los Angeles bus randomly shot to death a father of a toddler who was returning home from work, prosecutors say.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez was riding on a Metro bus shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday that was driving down the 6200 block of Slauson Avenue when it came to a stop. The suspect, 30-year-old Winston Apolinario Rivera, entered and sat behind Gomez-Ramirez and the bus continued driving. The bus came to another stop and Rivera allegedly got up and shot Gomez-Ramirez in the head, instantly killing him.
Rivera exited the bus and ran away, but Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies tracked him down and arrested him under a train near the intersection of Peachtree Street and Eastern Avenue. Deputies say they recovered a gun from the suspect. Prosecutors on Monday charged Rivera with murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime. If convicted as charged, he faces 35 years to life in prison.
Winston Apolinario Rivera allegedly shot Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez to death on a Metro bus in Los Angeles. Cops say the shooting was random. (KTLA/YouTube)
Metro sources told the Los Angeles Times that the attack was unprovoked.
“This tragic and senseless shooting claimed the life of a beloved husband and father innocently riding on a Metro bus,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this incredibly difficult time, and we will provide all the support we can as they navigate through this painful ordeal.”
Gomez-Ramirez’s wife Sarahi Lopez told local CW affiliate KTLA she doesn’t her understand why someone would kill her husband. Her attorney, Mario Acosta Jr., translated the interview.
“With every day that passes, I feel more and more confused, like I don’t have any answers,” Lopez said in Spanish.
The couple, who are special education teachers in Mexico and have a toddler son, arrived in California in February on a tourist visa, she said. They wanted to stay longer and her husband got a job at a warehouse packing clothes to make some money, she said. Gomez-Ramirez would take the bus to and from work.
“I need the killer to tell me why he did what he did,” Lopez told KTLA. “I want him to be punished because he ended our family.”
Acosta said he is working on a visa to allow Lopez to stay in the U.S. for the trial, KTLA reported. He also is reportedly considering filing a lawsuit against Metro and others. The family has started a GoFundMe.
The LA Times reports there has been several recent attacks on public transportation in recent weeks, including two stabbing incidents that injured three people. A 66-year-old woman who also was on her way home from work, was stabbed to death on the subway, the newspaper reported.
“Such acts of violence are absolutely unacceptable, and we will hold accountable those who perpetrate these heinous crimes,” Gascón said in his statement. “Our community deserves to feel safe, and we are committed to pursuing justice for all victims and ensuring that those responsible face the full consequences of their actions.”
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