NEED TO KNOW
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Pedro Ramirez, a 17-year-old honor roll student, was fatally shot while walking to a bus stop in Chicago on Tuesday, May 26
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A person of interest is now in custody, local authorities confirmed to PEOPLE
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The gunfire also injured two other men, aged 55 and 61, who were sitting in a vehicle at the time
A 17-year-old honor roll student has been shot dead while traveling to school in Chicago.
Straight-A junior Pedro Ramirez attended Tilden High School near Canaryville, where he was captain of the soccer team and played volleyball.
Ramirez was walking to the bus stop to head to school when he was shot multiple times in the Back of the Yards neighborhood at around 7:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday, May 26, according to ABC 7. He was later pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital.
Tilden High School, Chicago
Credit: Google Maps
“Our lives changed completely, and this is like a dream,” Ramirez’s mother Eloisa Garcia told the news outlet.
“It’s too much violence in a streets, in the morning. He was just going to school. That’s all he was doing,” her partner Asucena Velasquez also told ABC7 in Spanish.
The CPD told PEOPLE that an unknown offender exited a dark-colored SUV and began to fire shots, which struck three victims on Tuesday morning. Two men, aged 55 and 61, who were sitting in a vehicle at the time, were also injured by the gunfire.
Police said the 61-year-old was shot in the back, and the 55-year-old was shot in the right arm. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
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A person of interest was taken into custody, CPD confirmed to PEOPLE. It did not offer details about a potential motive for the shooting.
“He always said, ‘I will never miss school unless I’m very sick, or unless I’m dying,’ Mario Rosales, Ramirez’s best friend, told ABC 7. “He actually died, so it really hurts my heart about those words that he said now.”
The teenager was described as having his “whole life ahead of him,” along with being “so young, so cheerful, so helpful” on a GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral costs.
“His family is going through an incredibly difficult time. No mother should have to endure such pain,” the page stated.
“Pedrito was a kind young man, loved by many, and always willing to lend a hand. He was one of those people who truly leave a lasting impression,” it added.
Read the original article on People