Man Killed as Violence in Oxnard Continues

A weekend of violence in the Colonia neighborhood of Oxnard left one man dead from a beating Saturday night and two others suffering from stab wounds in an unrelated robbery early Sunday, authorities said.

Jorge Ruiz Ramirez, 36, of Oxnard was beaten to death in what was the second homicide in less than a week in the neighborhood, Oxnard Police officials said. The killing brought to 22 the number of homicides in Oxnard this year, compared with 11 for all of 2002. It was the 44th homicide in Ventura County this year, compared with 23 in the previous year.

About 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Oxnard Police were called to the 400 block of North Roosevelt Avenue, where they found Ramirez lying dead on a sidewalk.

Authorities said they believe Ramirez was attending a family party at a house on Roosevelt Avenue when he was followed into the frontyard and beaten.

The cause of death was blunt-force head injuries but no specific weapon was identified, said Ventura County Senior Deputy Coroner James Baroni.

“This incident does not appear to be gang-related,” Sgt. Gary Chennault said in a statement. Detectives are asking witnesses with information about the incident to contact them at 385-7649.

On Tuesday morning, farm worker Alberto Lopez, 27, was fatally shot a block from the Roosevelt Avenue home. He had been standing in the driveway of a home in the 400 block of North McKinley Avenue, police said.

About 3 a.m. Sunday, Antonio Mendoza and Miguel Gonzales, both of Oxnard, were stabbed during a sidewalk hold-up, police said.

The men were walking near the intersection of Colonia Road and Juanita Avenue when they were approached by three men, police said. One of the assailants demanded money from the victims and then stabbed them, police said.

They were being treated at a local hospital and were reported in stable condition, police said.

As of Sunday, there had been no arrests in any of the cases.