Father of slain boy testifies about previous shootout at Modesto home

The father of a slain boy on Friday testified about exchanging gunfire with defendants accused of murder in his son’s 2009 death.

Epifanio Ramirez Sr. said the shootout occurred about a month before a stray bullet struck his son, 10-year-old Epifanio Ramirez Jr.. The boy was not the intended target in the shooting.

Aaron Aguilera, Randy Sifuentez and Joe Luis Ramirez are on trial charged with murder in the shooting deaths of the boy and Jason Cyphers, 29. Cyphers was in the home’s open garage with the boy’s father and three other people when shots rang out July 28, 2009.

The father has testified that he was selling methamphetamine out of his home on Santa Barbara Avenue in Modesto’s La Loma neighborhood. He had severed ties with the Norteño street gang and was no longer sharing his profits, but he was dealing dope in the gang’s claimed territory without its approval.

On June 16, 2009, the father said, he was ambushed at a nearby home. He has testified that Sifuentez and Aguilera approached him in a threatening manner, and Sifuentez fired first. Ramirez and one of his friends fired back before retreating to Ramirez’s home on Santa Barbara.

A few hours later, Aguilera and Sifuentez drove past Ramirez’s home, according to the father’s testimony Friday. He said Aguilera was driving the vehicle that made a U-turn and headed back toward his home.

Ramirez testified that the vehicle accelerated as Sifuentez pointed a gun out of the vehicle. That’s when both sides exchanged gunfire, the father said. Nobody was hit by gunfire that time.

To avoid attention from police, Ramirez parked his bullet-riddled car in the backyard. Police later knocked on the front door asking questions about the shooting and the bullet holes on the home’s exterior. Ramirez’s girlfriend lied to police, saying they knew nothing about the shooting.

Friday was the eighth day Ramirez has been on the witness stand as he continued to answer questions from defense attorneys. He spent part of the morning speaking again about his criminal history selling drugs throughout the county, and he appeared annoyed by some of the questions asked during cross-examination.

“I’ve already answered these questions from all three of you,” Ramirez said, referring to the three defense attorneys.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Marie Silveira said she recognizes Ramirez has been on the witness stand for several days, and some of the questions have already been answered. She said an objection can be made about the questions, but such objections have not been made. She told Ramirez that he should just answer the questions and the process will go smoothly.

This story was originally published May 8, 2015 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Father of slain boy testifies about previous shootout at Modesto home."