On the night of the Fourth of July, 2025, while Minneapolis was alight with celebratory fireworks, a tragedy unfolded in the southern part of the city. Mario Martinez Ramirez-Hernandez, a 26-year-old Hispanic male from St. Paul, was found unconscious on the ground in the 2700 block of Bloomington Avenue. At approximately 11:20 p.m., passersby flagged down firefighters, who immediately began to render emergency aid to the young man.
He was suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and neck and was rushed to a local hospital, but was pronounced dead just before midnight. Investigators at the scene found evidence suggesting that multiple shots had been fired, the sounds of which may have been lost in the noise of the holiday festivities.
In the days and weeks that followed, the investigation into the death of Ramirez-Hernandez continued, though no arrests have been made and no suspects have been publicly identified. The Minneapolis Police Department has been working to determine the circumstances that led to the shooting and has made public appeals for information. Police Chief Brian O'Hara urged the community to come forward, stating, "Someone knows what happened to this man." This was the second homicide to occur in the city on that Fourth of July, a day marked by an increased police presence intended to curb holiday-related violence.
The family of Mario Martinez Ramirez-Hernandez has been left grappling with the sudden and violent loss. A month after his death, they gathered to call for justice and to express their frustration with the lack of progress in the investigation. They remember him as a silly and energetic person with a "biggest smile." An obituary described his life as being taken by a "senseless act of violence." He was an artist who had contributed to a mural in the Little Earth community where he was born and had once dreamed of becoming a firefighter. In their search for answers, the family has been working with the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives office to offer a reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case. The investigation remains open.
