KQED reports Antonio Ramos, 27, was fatally shot while working on the mural under the I-580 freeway in West Oakland at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Ramos was working with a group of muralists when he reportedly had an argument with an unidentified man who then shot him before fleeing. The mortally wounded artist was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The mural project is sponsored by the Attitudinal Healing Connection of Oakland (AHC), a nonprofit organization committed to reducing violence through art and educational programs. AHC’s Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project pairs professional muralists with local middle school students, who collaborate on murals depicting the students as superheroes who help solve pressing community problems.
“In the midst of beautifying the community with youth messages of hope and love, this horrific tragedy happens,” members of the Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project said Tuesday on the group’s Facebook page.
AHC Executive Director Amana Harris told KQED Ramos was “a really good kid who loved art.”
“We will be dedicating this wall to Antonio Ramos,” Harris said. “And we will not stop. We will not be intimidated to bring light and love and hope into our communities.”
A YouCaring crowdfunding page has been established to help the Ramos family with funeral costs.
