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Grand Rapids family still looking for 20-year-old man's killer

Friends and family raised $10,000 for a reward leading to an arrest.

KENTWOOD, Mich. — More than three months since a 20-year-old was shot and killed in his car, his killer remains at large. 

Someone shot Martin Eduardo Martinez–Ramirez on Jan. 27, 2024, and left him for dead inside his car in the parking lot in the 5900 block of Wing Avenue in Kentwood. 

No arrests have been made. 

His family said he had bright plans for the future.

"I just can't wrap my head around why someone would do this,” his sister Pilar Martinez said. "For someone to take his life away. I just want to know why."

Pilar said there’s no clear reason as to how or why this happened because her brother stayed out of trouble and lived a life of positivity.

"I wish I even had the slightest idea of who but I don't. My brother was someone who was quiet. He greeted everyone and he was friendly but he had his small circle. It was really his girlfriend, his family and his closest friends. Aside from them, my brother was not a crazy social person," said Martinez.

That’s why she is fighting for answers and making sure people remember her brother for who he was and not as a statistic. 

"I want justice for my brother because he did not deserve that. And the fact that someone is out there continuing their life while my brother's life was cut short. It's unfair,” said Martinez.

To help generate tips, friends and family raised a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to those responsible for his death. 

Silent Observer is asking for any tips from individuals who may know something and/or who may be involved. 

Anyone with information is urged to contact Kentwood Police Department at 616-698-6580, or Silent Observer, safely and anonymously at 616-774-2345 or at silentobserver.org

State law protects Silent Observer’s tips and records which assures anonymity. 

Silent Observer will pay up to this enhanced $10,000 reward for information given to one of our tip lines that leads to the killer’s arrest.

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