Two teens arrested in alleged gang shooting in Costa Mesa that killed 35-year-old
An 18-year-old Costa Mesa man is facing a felony murder charge for his alleged connection to a fatal shooting that took place Friday on the 2800 block of Costa Mesa’s Mendoza Drive, which police believe was a gang-related killing.
Ryan Ivan Ramos was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, after he and a male juvenile were taken into custody Monday by Costa Mesa police, a CMPD spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.
In addition to one count of murder, Ramos faces one count of participating in criminal street gang activity and felony enhancements that could extend his sentence.
A second suspect, a juvenile whose name is not being released to the public, was also arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Costa Mesa resident Raymond Gonzalez, who was pronounced dead at the scene Friday.
Court records indicate while it was the minor suspect who discharged the firearm that killed Gonzalez, Ramos is thought to have “induced” the second suspect to commit the crime to further the efforts and influence of the local street gang Calle Shalimar Locos.
“Ramos was a principal in the commission of a felony, which the defendant committed for the benefit of, at the direction of and in association with a criminal street gang,” prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
“During the commission and attempted commission of the above offense, another principal intentionally discharged a firearm causing death to [Gonzalez], who was not an accomplice.”
Friday’s incident is not the first for Ramos, who turned 18 in March, according to prosecutors. He was previously convicted in 2022 for his involvement in a second-degree robbery that took place that September, when he was 17 years old.
A 35-year-old man died of gunshot wounds after being shot Friday on the 2800 block of Mendoza Avenue in Costa Mesa. A suspect is in custody.
Family members of Gonzalez, who described himself as a union carpenter on Linkedin, have started a GoFundMe page online to raise money for his funeral expenses. His brother, David Gonzalez, maintains the 35-year-old was “fatally shot in front of his kids’ home.”
The criminal complaint identifies Calle Shalimar Locos as a gang whose members “engage and have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity” in the Costa Mesa area. It is unclear whether Gonzalez had any personal connections to the gang or to the suspects detained for his murder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Costa Mesa Police Department at (714) 754-5252 or to contact Det. Eric Fricke at (714) 754-4908.
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