HOUSTON — Ivan Ramirez was a softball coach who was shot and killed outside his home. The shooting happened at an apartment complex near Mykawa right inside the Beltway in southeast Houston.
Ramirez died last week after spending three weeks in the hospital. Now, his son is stepping up to fill his father's shoes.
"He loved coaching everyone," Manny Ramirez, Ivan's 17-year-old son, said.
Manny is learning how to live without his dad.
"He was a big ball of energy," Manny said.
On Easter Sunday, Ivan got a notification on his phone that his truck door had just been opened.
"He walked outside, nothing in his hand. He didn’t even have his shoes on," Manny said.
Manny said what happened next changed his life forever.
"We just heard four shots ande were scared. We heard it and popped out and saw him on the ground," Manny said.
Ivan was shot four times. Houston Police Department investigators said the person who shot him took off and didn’t take anything from the truck.
Instead, he took Ivan from his family.
"Everyone was able to say their final goodbyes," Manny said.
Now, Manny is asking for help to find those is responsible.
"I pray every night and I just hope they find whoever did this," Manny said.
Even though Ivan is no longer alive, Manny stepped up to the plate and is now coaching his dad’s teams.
"I'm just trying to be half of the man he was," Manny said. "I am trying to make him proud."
Manny said that in addition to his dad's bat and glove, he'll always carry his father's words of wisdom on and off the field.
"In spirit, he's always going to be with us. He is our angel," Manny said.
HPD said its homicide investigators are looking into the case. They're asking people with any information that could help to contact them or Crime Stoppers.