Ramon Diaz was gunned down recently outside his Cathedral City home after leaving his jiu-jitsu studio in Palm Springs a little after 9:30 that March evening. According to a local news channel KESQ:
“Who did this and why?” said Alex Diaz, Ramon Diaz’s brother.
“We want to know why and who would do this to him,” added Ramon Diaz’s sister, Gabby Diaz.
It’s unanswered questions about Ramon’s murder that weigh heavy on the Diaz family.
“It just can’t go on this way. He can’t be forgotten. The story just can’t go on and it can’t be a cold case. There has to be somebody that knows something out there,” Gabby said.
“It’s very frustrating. I’m angry every single day and sad, and I think of him every single moment of every day,” Alex added.
“It just sickens me that somebody could go about their everyday lives knowing that they did this to someone, that they stole someones life away, that they murdered them senselessly,” Gabby said.
Ramon, a long-time Palm Springs Jiu-Jitsu instructor, was dedicated to his craft and a role model to hundreds, according to his former students.
“His brother pegged it best at his funeral. He was everyone’s big brother, their uncle, their dad. He helped a lot of kids, kids who had nothing. He was like a dad to them and a big brother to people like myself,” said Karianne Carillo, Roman’s former student and friend.
“I think about my dear friend, my Jiu-Jitsu father everyday, every night, every morning. In life he’ll guide us in ways that we never though we could imagine. If it wasn’t for him, my life would be completely different,” said Romel Fuentes, another former student of Ramon.
Ramon’s loved ones say they’re speaking it in hopes that someone else will.
“(We’re speaking out) to get this case solved. Get the person who did this behind bars, for my brother, for his memory, for his legacy, for the school,” Alex said.
“We’re just pleading for somebody to please say something, anything. Sometimes people don’t realize that even the smallest things mean something. Please anybody that knows something, anything,” Gabby added.
RIP to the Amazing Man who introduced me to BJJ and MMA. Ramon Diaz was my first instructor & I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today pic.twitter.com/xjUQU6CQ7m
— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) March 29, 2018
Zaid Ramirez, a student and instructor at Palm Springs Jiu-Jitsu, said Diaz treated all his students and friends with respect.
“He treated everyone immediately like family,” he said.
Cathedral City Police say there are no new leads in this case. The investigation remains active and on going. If you have any information on the homicide you’re urged to call CCPD at (760)770-0300.
