Ramón Manuel Ramirez-Castro
Agency patch
Sergeant

Ramón Manuel Ramirez-Castro

Puerto Rico Police Department — San Juan, 127
Felonious
End of Watch August 24, 1998
Age 26
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
The Vigil Panel 145 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant Ramón Ramirez-Castro and Sergeant Billy Colón-Crespo were shot and killed while answering an armed robbery call at a local bakery in Fortuna, Luquillo, Puerto Rico. The officers entered the store and detained two suspects, but as they began to search one of them another suspect suddenly opened fire, striking both officers. As both officers were laying on the ground, one of the suspects took one of the officer's .357 caliber duty weapon and shot them both again. The suspects fled the scene with a third suspect in a waiting get-away car but were later captured. The entire incident was captured on the business' security camera. Sergeant Ramirez-Castro had served with the Puerto Rico Police Department for 11 years. He is survived by one child. Sergeant Ramirez-Castro was posthumously promoted to Sergeant.

Survivors

He is survived by one child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-PR-088EF146
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Ramirez-Castro gave the Puerto Rico Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Juan community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Ramirez-Castro.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location San Juan, 127
Platform Identity prpd.pr.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 24, 1998
Tour of Duty 4 yrs
Age 26
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Officer's handgun
Offender Apprehended; 239-year prison sentence

Sergeant Ramón Manuel Ramirez-Castro is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In 127, 294 of 388 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75.8% of this state's fallen. That is 21.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Puerto Rico Police Department, 279 of 364 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.6% of this agency's fallen.

Puerto Rico Police Department
279
of 364 officers
76.6% Felonious
127 — Statewide
294
of 388 officers
75.8% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ramón Manuel Ramirez-Castro's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Ramón Manuel Ramirez-Castro Compares

Age at End of Watch
26
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
4
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Apprehended; 239-year prison sentence

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Ramón Manuel Ramirez-Castro is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Ramón Manuel Ramirez-Castro was killed by officer's handgun.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location