Recent Killings Shake Decoto Community

Margot Gonzalez’ three grandchildren played on the lawn in her gated front yard Wednesday afternoon. As a pedestrian approached, they quickly dispersed, two running around to the back yard, the other scuttling inside the house as fast as she could.

“I told them to do that,” Gonzalez explained as she stepped outside her home.

Her house is just doors away from where 49-year-old was gunned down on the 600 block of Whipple Road Tuesday night. On Saturday, seven blocks away,   was shot and killed on the 33600 block of Eighth Street.

“It’s scary," Gonzalez said. “It was very peaceful at one time. Now, if you’re out there and you’re innocent, you get killed.”

Police are investigating whether the two shootings are connected.

“There’s nothing that stands out, but the fact that you have two homicides in such a small geographical area and within a week is very unusual,” said Lt. Ben Horner of the Union City Police Department. “We’re looking if there’s any connection between the victim or family members, but at first glance there doesn’t appear to be.”

According to police, Partida was shot multiple times in front of a home on Whipple Road about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died about an hour later, said Lt. Mark Quindoy.

Neighbors gave conflicting accounts of the night. Some said Partida had just returned home from the nearby 7-Eleven on foot, others said he was riding a bike.

A resident of the home where the shooting occurred declined to speak with Union City Patch but stated, “He was a good friend, but he had nothing to do with us. He didn’t live here.”

However, police said that Partida rented a room at the address.

“There’s been significant activity in that immediate area within the last year,” Horner said.

A History of Violence

Tuesday’s shooting was where a homicide occurred last year on Sept. 15, when 57-year-old Humberto Diaz was shot and killed, allegedly by his 55-year-old stepson Rick Sanchez.

That incident is  not believed to be related to Partida's shooting, Horner said.

Shootings aren’t out of the ordinary in the area, neighbors said.

“We hear shots around here all the time,” said a nearby resident who did not want his name published. The neighbor, who has lived in Decoto since 1989, said he’s witnessed drive-by shootings and remembers a string of shootings in 2007 that left a 14-year-old dead at the now-defunct Barnard White Middle Schoool, located at 725 Whipple Road.

In December 2007, Vernon Eddins, 14, was shot in front of the school. The killing is believed to be a retaliation for the murder of Jesus Cruz Jr., who was shot and killed a month earlier while celebrating his 21st birthday, also in the Decoto neighborhood. Both murders remain unsolved.

Gonzalez, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, said the community has changed over the years. Many of the residents near her home are “old-timers” who’ve lived there for generations, but Gonsalez said that as the city expanded, new residents began moving in.

“I wish it could go back to the years when we could leave our doors unlocked without having to worry,” she said.

When news of Tuesday’s shooting got to Anthony Ramirez’ brother Eli, he was shocked.

“What the hell is going on in my city?” Eli Ramirez said.

But despite the recent shootings, the community remains strong.

"Bad things do happen in our community but good things happen as well," said Maricela Reynoso, a community liaison at Conley Caraballo High School and leader of the Decoto-based .

Vigil and Services for “Cookie”

At 7 p.m. Friday, family, friends and community members will hold a vigil for Ramirez, starting with a march from the Ramirez household to the scene of his killing on Eighth Street between E and F streets. There, the Aztec dancers will perform a blessing ceremony.

Funeral services for Ramirez will be held Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at , followed by a burial at Chapel of the Chimes.

The Ramirez family wants to invite the community, Eli Ramirez said.

“He was loved by so many people,” Ramirez’s older brother said. “We want him to have one last big hurrah.”

Police Ask Community for Help

While the community tries to recover, police continue to actively investigate the recent shootings and search for more witnesses.

“We know the crime occurred fairly early in the evening on a busy roadway,” Horner said of Tuesday’s shooting. “Whipple is a major thoroughfare.”

“We’re looking for anyone with information—any drivers who passed by the area, any community members walking by in the area—to come forward,” Horner said.

“Crimes like these are an assault against the whole community and the whole city. We need to come together as a community to solve them.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Union City Police investigations unit at 510-471-1365. Anonymous tips can also be left at 510-675-5207 or e-mailed to tips@union-city.org.