15th Tacoma Homicide of 2024: Ismael Merino-Ramirez
On the last night of Ismael Merino-Ramirez’s life, he was hanging out with a friend. They ate some food at a local restaurant and then Ismael received a call from a 27-year-old man who invited him to meet him in a parking lot in the 9200 block of South Hosmer Street at just before 2:00am on July 27, 2024.
When they arrived, there was no one else in the parking lot. Ismael talked with the man for a few minutes. His friend watched, unsure if the conversation was going to turn into something else, but when his friend heard them laugh, he relaxed a little and went back to the car to get their phone charger.
That’s when he heard the gunshot and saw Ismael clutch his chest. The 27-year-old ran to a mid-2000s gray Honda Civic into the night.
First responders attempted life saving procedures, but Ismael died on the scene becoming Tacoma’s 15th homicide of 2024. He was 28-years-old.
The man who murdered him was arrested a few days later and after pleading guilty to manslaughter received a six years and six month sentence, close to the lowest penalty possible for the crime.
I was unable to find Ismael’s obituary or any social media presence and so I cannot tell you much about Ismael’s life other than it was cut short. I couldn’t even find a photograph.
If you knew Ismael Merino-Ramirez and have a photo you’d like me to add to this post, please email me at jackcameronis@gmail.com.
If you are a friend or relative of Ismael and would like to share thoughts or memories of him, please click the button below and leave it in the comments section.
SCHEDULING NOTE: During the months of June and December, TacomaStories takes a break from writing about homicides. It’s not easy writing about violent crime in the city I’ve lived my entire life in. I need to take a break from time to time. Homicide coverage will return Monday, July 7, 2025.
- Jack