A Tuesday night shooting killed a man in the La Loma neighborhood and critically injured a 10-year-old boy, Modesto police said Wednesday. The boy's father, who also was shot, later was arrested.
Police identified the dead man as Jason Cyphers, 29, of Modesto. They identified the father of the boy as 34-year-old Epifanio Ramirez. They did not identify Ramirez's son, who was rushed to a Modesto hospital and was in critical condition Wednesday, said police Sgt. Brian Findlen.
Authorities said Ramirez has an "extensive" criminal history and connections with criminal street gangs in Modesto.
Two weeks ago, Ramirez was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and one count of possessing a sawed-off rifle not registered to him. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Ramirez on Wednesday after he was released from a Bay Area hospital, where doctors amputated a finger that was injured by a bullet. Ramirez was booked at the San Francisco County Jail.
"The shooting of a 10-year-old boy should outrage even hard-core gang members," Deputy District Attorney Tom Brennan said. "Epifanio Ramirez lost a finger, and his 10-year-old son could lose his life. All gang members should ask themselves if an innocent child victim is worth the cost of gangbanging."
Police say two people fired several rounds at a duplex in the 100 block of Santa Barbara Avenue, off Yosemite Boulevard, about 11:30 p.m. Police had not made any arrests.
Neighbors called Ramirez's son a "little angel" and a "sweet little guy" who was always "running, jumping and playing."
"They raised decent kids," said one neighbor, who did not give her name because she feared for her safety.
Neighborhood children said their parents didn't allow them to go to the house where Tuesday night's shooting took place. But they often saw the boy riding his bike and running through the neighborhood and sometimes they played together.
Jason Cyphers' sister-in-law, Carolina Cyphers, said Cyphers probably was visiting a friend at the duplex. She said her brother-in-law was not involved in gangs. "He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," Carolina Cyphers.
In April, Jason Cyphers was arrested on suspicion of auto theft, possession of stolen property and evading a peace officer.
Sister: He was very high-spirited
Jason Cyphers grew up in Ceres, his sister-in-law said. He was the father of a 7-year-old son. He was not employed when he was killed. He lived with his mother and stepfather in Modesto.
"He was a very high-spirited person," said Cyphers. "He was real likable. He never had any enemies."
Cyphers' mother, Bonnie Olivera, said her son once had a drug problem and "went into a tailspin" after he separated from his wife and the mother of his son. But he had a lead on a maintenance job that was to begin Saturday, she said.
Olivera said she didn't know why her son was at the house, but said police told her Cyphers did not seem to be the intended target.
A friend spotted Cyphers' car behind the crime scene tape and went to tell Olivera, who came to the scene, just blocks from her house, about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
A neighbor said she was smoking a cigarette outside when she saw the shooting. She said she watched a green Saturn circle the block twice before parking a few blocks from the house.
She said two men got out of the car, which had a rust or burgundy driver's side door, and "just started spraying (bullets)."
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