Agustin Victor Ramirez, 51, appeared before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman on Monday after being extradited to face charges he shot off-duty Clark County corrections officer Blane Dereis on Sept. 21. Bail was affirmed at $1 million.
Police say the shooting was part of a plot with Ramirez's sister, Guadalupe Ramirez, 48, who is involved in a custody dispute with Dereis over their 3-year-old daughter. Dereis was walking out of a business in the 7600 block of West Cheyenne Avenue with his girlfriend and her 13-year-old son when a man on a black electric bike rode past and shot him in the abdomen. He underwent surgery and his condition was stabilized.
The arrest report details a contentious custody dispute that included child exchanges at a North Las Vegas police substation and allegations that Guadalupe Ramirez used fake social media accounts to threaten Dereis' girlfriend. A restraining order Guadalupe Ramirez obtained against Dereis was dissolved, and the girlfriend later pursued one against her.
Investigators linked Agustin Ramirez to the shooting through surveillance video showing him wearing clothes similar to the gunman's near his sister's home before the attack, license plate readers placing a vehicle he was in near the scene, and a witness who said he had an electric bicycle and helmet matching the shooter's. Agustin Ramirez is a convicted felon with prior arrests for gang participation, burglary, robbery, and a May arrest in North Las Vegas for prohibited person possessing a firearm.
Both siblings are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, three counts of attempted murder, and five counts of discharging a gun into an occupied structure or vehicle. A preliminary hearing for Guadalupe Ramirez is scheduled for Tuesday, and Agustin Ramirez's next court appearance is set for Oct. 26.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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