Bits of information from the victim, who has a bullet in his head, and from others have led to a name, but not an arrest.
By JACOB H. FRIES
Published June 17, 2005
DUNEDIN - The meeting was to be about music, two young rappers collaborating.
Carlos E. Ramos Jr. of Tarpon Springs pulled into the parking of Lo Garto Apartments at 3 p.m. on June 8. Ronnie R. Lewis, who had called the meeting, jumped into Ramos' car.
Then, police say, Lewis pulled out a gun, demanding money.
Ramos, a Dunedin Academy graduate who had turned 18 the day before, was confused. He insisted he didn't have any cash.
Lewis, 22, of Clearwater pulled the trigger, firing into Ramos' face, police say. The bullet tore through Ramos' cheek and lodged behind his right ear. His vision went blank.
Lewis fired a second time, grazing Ramos' head, then fled - empty-handed.
Ramos opened his eyes and started driving.
"He's cleaning the blood from his face and when he saw people, he stopped the car and told them to call 911," said his mother, Sahara Ramos, 45.
Ramos collapsed in the yard of a house on New York Avenue, two blocks from where he was shot. He survived.
The more detailed account of the shooting, provided by investigators and Ramos' family, emerged Thursday as the Sheriff's Office released a photograph of Lewis, who remained at large.
"He's obviously on the run," sheriff's Detective Jim Beining said.
Wounded, Ramos initially could not give detectives many details of the shooting. He knew Lewis only by the nickname "Fade."
But detectives pieced together intelligence from other agencies and, with the name of Lewis' girlfriend as a lead, focused on him. On Monday, they got an arrest warrant.
"We're actively searching for him, but we have no leads as to where he is at," Beining said. "It's very important if someone knows where he is to contact law enforcement. We want to get him off the streets."
Sheriff's investigators have already interviewed dozens of people, including many residents at the apartment complex at 258 Milwaukee Ave., and some of Lewis' relatives.
Sahara Ramos, 45, said Thursday that her son was released from the hospital on Wednesday, although he continues to suffer pain. A bullet remains behind his ear.
"It's right in the nerve," she said. "It causes pain down his arm. Oh, my God, he can't even sleep."
Ramos has regained some of his speech and has slowly told his mother about the incident.
"I just get bits and pieces," she said. "You'll ask him a question and he'll just space out and answer like a minute later."
Sometimes, when he wakes from sleep, Ramos asks about the shooting.
"He'll say, "Did they catch him?' " his mother said. "I think he's kind of scared."
Sahara Ramos asked her son why he was targeted.
"He's a hater," he said, referring to his attacker. "He's jealous of me."
Lewis is 6-foot-2, 150 pounds, with a thin build and a goatee. Detectives said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to contact Pinellas sheriff's Sgt. Mike Madden at (727) 582-6200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.
