Authorities announced a $5,000 reward Friday for information leading to an arrest in the unsolved fatal shooting three years ago of a "very non-confrontational" young man in front of a Lincoln Park-area apartment complex.
Gregory Izik Ruffin Jr., 22, was leaving a friend's residence in the 300 block of 47th Street when someone opened fire on him shortly after 11 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2019, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Ruffin collapsed onto a sidewalk and died at the scene.
Police say they are convinced that some of those who live in the neighborhood just east of Interstate 805 and south of Market Street know who is responsible for Ruffin's death but are unwilling or afraid to come forward.
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In hopes of prompting any reticent tipsters to break their silence, the victim's family has added $4,000 to a $1,000 reward fund in the case previously posted by San Diego County Crime Stoppers.
In a video about the slaying released by the SDPD, the victim's father described the impacts of his son's death on their family.
"The phone call I got was the next day, actually," recalled Gregory Ruffin Sr., who referred to his late son by his middle name. "His mother called me and said he didn't come home. And I was puzzled, you know, blown away, like, `What do you mean, he didn't come home?"'
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The victim's mother then informed his father that police had contacted her and told her they needed to talk to her about her son.
"So, at that point we started panicking, thinking obviously something bad had happened," the father said. "But ... we didn't imagine, you know, that he had been shot."
The mourning father described his slain son as the type of person who avoided conflict.
"He was very non-confrontational, never (had) been in a fight that I can remember, even throughout high school," he said. "So this was very shocking."
He urged anyone who might be able to help bring his family closure to get in touch with investigators.
"Someone knows, has got information about this," the father said. "I would like for them to come forward. just because it's the right thing to do. It would help us tremendously to at least have some answers to all our questions -- you know, of why and how, and bring to justice the people that did this so they no longer could do this to another family."
Anyone with information about the case was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or contact the agency online at sdcrimestoppers.org.
