One of two teenagers accused in a double homicide in a shooting outside a Halloween party in National City last year appeared in juvenile court on Friday.
The suspects, Fernando Lopez and Alberto Romero Ramirez, are now 18 but were 17 at the time of the shooting on Oct 28, 2022 that killed Edwin Barrera, 18, and Gillian Aguilera, 16. Each face two murder charges. In the brief court session on Friday, defense attorneys for Ramirez, who appeared virtually, denied all the allegations against their defendant.
The mother of one of the shooting victims was in court. She said the shooting has destroyed her life.
"I have been picking up the pieces," Diana De Valle said.
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If Ramirez is convicted, he would serve time until age 25. Prosecutors will fight at a future hearing to move the case from juvenile court to get a harsher punishment.
"These losses affect families, they affect neighborhoods, they ripple through the community," said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan.
The shooting happened in 2022 but the arrests were made weeks ago through a joint effort between the National City Police Department, the San Diego Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, FBI San Diego field office and the Department of Justice’s Southern District of California.
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“Outside of this Halloween party, emerging criminal street gang members began hunting down what they considered to be rivals,” Stephan said during a press conference announcing the arrests. “Barrera was confronted by them, shot and killed. Gillian Aguilera was a bystander who was tragically also murdered.”
During a large investigation, referred to as Operation Broken Bandz, they also uncovered seven additional suspects who detectives say are not related to the murders, but now face federal and state drug and firearm charges.
“Over the course of the past three months, the joint investigation uncovered that a group of alleged gang members were working together to commit violent assaults, robberies, traffic drugs and commit weapons violations,” Tellez said.
“Those particular charges against those defendants stem from a search warrant executed at a residence in which law enforcement found, among other items, approximately 18 pounds of methamphetamine,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Randy Grossman, added.
Grossman also mentioned they found fentanyl, thousands of Xanax pills, ammunition, multiple guns, including a ghost gun, and body armor.
Five of the total nine people who were arrested in relation to this group are adults. Their names are Ivan Martinez, Joseph Romero, Ricardo Ortez, Francisco Valadez and Edgar Zapata.
“Investigators have learned that this group would conduct surveillance on possible victims, source equipment for their crimes then carry out their criminal missions,” San Diego Chief of Police, David Nisleit, said.
Even with the nine total arrests, the investigation is not over. NCPD said they still need the public’s help to find information on an attempted double homicide that happened in early February. They believe members of this group may be connected, but more insight is needed.
On Feb. 3, 2023, Michael Porter, 20, and Ismael Astorga, 17, were walking with friends to a taco shop near 2531 E. Plaza Blvd. Police said that when a sedan pulled up next to them, a passenger got out and shot Porter and Astorga, both in the head.
They were taken to the hospital and both survived the shooting, but NCPD added they were seriously hurt and will likely be dealing with health complications for the rest of their lives.
Anyone with information is asked to call the National City Police Department at 619-336-8477 or submit an anonymous tip through San Diego Crime Stoppers.
