Bryan Lara-Hernandez, a 21-year-old Hispanic male, was fatally shot on July 27, 2023, in Wichita, Kansas. The incident that led to his death began in the early morning hours on the top floor of a parking garage in Old Town Square. Lara-Hernandez and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Josephina Lerma-Dominguez, were with a friend, 20-year-old Zachary A. Ramirez.
An argument erupted between Lara-Hernandez and Ramirez, which quickly escalated into a physical altercation.
During the shoving match, Lara-Hernandez reportedly drew a handgun to end the confrontation. Following this, he and Lerma-Dominguez got into their Honda to leave the parking garage. As they were backing out of a parking space, Ramirez approached the passenger side of the vehicle and fired a handgun 14 times into the car. The couple were described as a "sitting target" and had no time to react to the ambush.
A street sweeper later discovered the bodies of Lara-Hernandez and Lerma-Dominguez. An autopsy revealed that Lara-Hernandez had sustained eight gunshot wounds, including to his heart and lungs, while Lerma-Dominguez was shot three times in the lungs. Investigators utilized surveillance footage from the parking garage and other cameras in the area to identify Ramirez's vehicle and track his movements after the shooting.
Zachary A. Ramirez was arrested and stood trial for the killings. Prosecutors argued that Ramirez had lain in wait for an opportunity to retaliate against Lara-Hernandez for pulling a gun on him and his friends. The defense countered with a claim of self-defense, stating that Ramirez believed Lara-Hernandez was reaching for his weapon again. However, a Sedgwick County jury convicted Ramirez of two counts of first-degree felony murder, among other charges.
