When Asucena Velazquez hugged her 17-year-old son before he left for school Tuesday morning, she never imagined he wouldn’t return home.
Pedro Ramirez was on his way from their Back of the Yards home to class at Tilden High School when he was fatally shot in the 5000 block of South Throop Street.
“It never crossed my mind that my boy would get hurt going to school,” Velazquez told the Sun-Times. “They robbed my son of his future.”
Around 7:40 a.m., a stolen black Jeep Cherokee with four masked assailants inside stopped behind a southbound red minivan near 51st Street, according to a police report. At least two of them got out of the Jeep brandishing a “long gun,” and “fired dozens of rifle rounds” in the minivan’s direction.
The two men who were inside the red minivan, 55 and 61, were shot but were able to drive away and call 911 for help — but the two-sport Tilden athlete and honor roll student collapsed.
“During the barrage of gunfire, the victim, who was walking westbound on the south side of 51st Street was inadvertently struck one time in the right side,” the report said. He was pronounced dead at 8:20 a.m. at Comer Children’s Hospital.
Both men were taken to Stroger Hospital. The 55-year-old man has since been released, while the 65-year-old is still hospitalized in stable condition.
A 911 caller who witnessed the attack gave police a description of the Jeep. Officers then chased it and took one of the four occupants of the Jeep into custody near 44th Street and Wolcott Avenue. The other three assailants got away on foot, according to the report. One pistol and one rifle were found in the Jeep.
Velazquez said she was at home when she got a call from the hospital that Pedro had been hurt in a shooting. When she arrived, she said doctors told her Pedro died from his injuries.
Luis Fernandez (right) and Rachel Ruiz mourn their friend Pedro Ramirez at a memorial along the 5000 block of South Throop St. in Back of the Yards on the Southwest Side, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Ramirez was struck by stray gunfire Tuesday morning while walking to school.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
Pedro’s death has left their family devastated, Velazquez said.
“He was a good boy,” Velazquez said. “He was respectful and caring. He didn’t mess with anyone.”
Velazquez said she wants justice for her son and hopes police will find those responsible.
A person of interest has been taken into custody, police said, but no charges had been filed as of early Wednesday evening.
Several friends gathered Wednesday afternoon around a memorial for Pedro near the shooting scene, some crying and hugging each other. A poster with messages written on it, photographs, balloons, flowers and candles were placed around a small tree.
Friends remembered Pedro as a loving kid who lifted up those around him.
“His smile was contagious,” said classmate and friend, Rachel Ruiz, 18. “He kept everybody up when they were down. He meant good for everybody. … He was a very careful person. He used to look out for others. He used to put others above himself.”
Luis Fernandez, 18, played soccer and volleyball with Pedro at Tilden, where Pedro was a junior and a captain of the Tilden boys soccer team this season.
“One thing about him, no matter what, he never stopped playing. He always kept going,” Fernandez said.
“He was a very peaceful kid. He was always to himself,” Fernandez added.
Pedro was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. at age 5.
His mother said he had dreams of going to college and studying engineering.
In the hours after his death, Velazquez said, she’s received an overwhelming amount of support from Pedro’s friends and the community, and her son’s friends have visited to offer their condolences.
“His friends are destroyed,” Velazquez said. “I always knew he had a lot of friends, but I didn’t realize how much they loved him. But they’ve shown me that my son was an excellent friend and classmate. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
A GoFundMe to help Pedro’s family with funeral expenses can be found here.
Chicago Public Schools is offering support services to students and staff at Tilden.
“All of us at Chicago Public Schools are saddened to learn of the loss of this young person’s life and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, school and community members impacted by this tragedy,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement.