Yener Ramírez, a popular street vendor known by his English nickname The Corn Guy He met his death unexpectedly in Long Beach while selling his corn, apparently being hit by a stray bullet.
To help the family, you can make donations on the GoFundMe page: Yener Ramirez (Aka The Corn Guy).
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday, March 20, in the 100 block of Eagle Street west of Long Beach Boulevard in a residential neighborhood, around 4:05 p.m. that afternoon as Yener was selling his corn on the street. He suffered a gunshot wound to the torso that caused his death.
The first reports, according to a statement from the Long Beach Police, indicate that a group was detected in the area from where a person fired several shots into the air. It is unknown if the individuals were arguing or fighting.
The group fled before the police arrived; and the police corporation itself believes that the seller had nothing to do with them but rather that he had the misfortune of being nearby when they took out their weapons and started shooting. It is presumed that at least one bullet hit him.
In a statement, Long Beach police indicated that “the motive for the shooting remains under investigation.”
“Yener died around 4:50 in the afternoon, when they were taking him in the ambulance to the hospital,” said José Fernández, Yener’s cousin, who is organizing the collection on GoFundMe to assist the family with funeral expenses.
Yenes was 37 years old, he was the father of a 17-year-old teenager and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl.
About 19 years ago he had emigrated from Guatemala to the Los Angeles area, and for 15 years he had been selling corn on the street.
“We don’t know what happened. Everything is under investigation. “They have not given us the body.”
José says that Yener lived in the Wilmington neighborhood south of Los Angeles, with his wife and children.
He made a living selling corn from his traveling cart. He would load his cart selling corn into his truck in Wilmington and transport it to Long Beach, where he would park and from there he would sell it. He moved through different streets of Long Beach. He also sold mangoes, raspados, chicharrones, esquites and chetos.
Yener went out to sell around noon, and returned to his house between 5 and 5:30 in the afternoon.
José says he doesn’t have many of the details that led to the salesman’s death.
“About five years ago they tried to rob him, and he had already suffered other attacks on the street. We think that those who shot him made a mistake and it was not him who they wanted to kill. We do not know”.
He describes the elotero as a very serious, calm and humble person.
“He really liked playing soccer. He stopped when he had her daughter because she hardly had time anymore,” she says.
And he comments that after learning of his death, many children in the neighborhood have commented that they are going to miss him because they were his clients, they bought corn from him.
On his GoFundMe donation page, Yener is described as “a loving father who worked tirelessly to support his family as a street vendor.”
And they cry out for help: “Please help your family! He is a great family friend and we would love to help him in any way we can. “Many know him in East Long Beach.”
José says that on Saturday, March 30, there will be a carnival, starting at 12 noon, at the place where he was shot to death on Locus and Eagle streets to raise funds for his funeral.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact LBPD Homicide Detectives Michael Hubbard, Jesus Espinoza or Alfredo Chairez at 562-570-7244. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.
There are many dangers to which street vendors are exposed when they take to the streets to sell their products to put food on the table in their homes.
They are frequently the target of attacks and hate crimes, and are often robbed, verbally and physically attacked; and in other cases they enter neighborhoods where crime abounds and unwittingly expose themselves to being fatal victims of a crime as sadly happened to Yener.