Orange County Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder in Connection with 2017 Shooting
Above: Alexis Ascencion
Photos courtesy of Santa Ana PD
An Orange County man has been convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the 2017 fatal shooting of 36-year-old Mariano Labra Ramos, according to a press release by the Santa Ana Police Department.
On the afternoon of December 1, 2017, Santa Ana police officers responded to a report of a man down on the 1900 block of West Myrtle Street. Upon arrival, officers found Ramos, who had suffered gunshot wounds. Ramos was taken to a local trauma center by Orange County Fire Authority, but later passed away due to his injuries.
Homicide investigators soon determined that four individuals allegedly affiliated with a criminal street gang had entered rival territory on West Myrtle Street. One of them, identified as Alexis Ascencion, 25, exited the vehicle and allegedly fired two shots at two men in a walkway, striking Ramos twice in the leg. Ascencion then fled the scene.
Investigators discovered that the victims were not associated with any gangs, but were simply residents of the neighborhood.
Felix Vargas
On December 2, 2017, officers arrested Ascencion in connection with the murder of Ramos.
A second individual — Felix Martinez Vargas, 26 — was identified as the driver, with two juveniles (ages 15 and 16 at the time) identified as passengers. Vargas was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter, and one of the juveniles was convicted of attempted murder in relation to the incident, police said.
On February 15, 2024, Ascencion was found guilty in Orange County Superior Court of first-degree murder, with sentencing enhancements for firearm use and gang affiliation. His sentencing has been scheduled for April 5, 2024.
