Police in Puerto Rico say a gunman opened the back of an ambulance in San Juan and shot dead a patient who was already being treated for gunshot wounds from an earlier attack.
The shooting happened on Wednesday in the Santurce district, in the Las Margaritas public housing complex, after emergency workers responded to a call for help at the victim's home. Officials said the ambulance was parked outside when the attacker struck.
Authorities identified the victim as 62-year-old Ramón Ramos Nicole, who had recently left prison after serving roughly 25 years for rape convictions. Police said he was first shot near his residence, then returned wounded before his mother phoned 911, according to ABC News.
Paramedics arrived and moved Ramos into the ambulance to begin treating his injuries, which included a gunshot wound to the face, according to local reports. They started efforts to stabilize him and prepare for transport to a hospital.
While medics were working on Ramos, an armed man approached the parked ambulance and suddenly pulled open the rear doors. Investigators say the suspect then fired several rounds at close range, hitting the patient multiple times.
Ramos was rushed to a hospital, but doctors could not save him, and he was pronounced dead a short time later. The paramedics were not physically hurt, though police said they required support after witnessing the shooting at such close range, Ground reported.
Police believe the killing is directly connected to the first shooting that injured Ramos earlier in the day, but they have not publicly confirmed a specific motive. Detectives are looking at whether a personal dispute or past conflict could be involved.
Officers are gathering security video from the area and speaking with neighbors and other witnesses who may have seen the gunman or any vehicles used to flee. As of the latest update, no arrests had been reported, and authorities had not released a description of the suspect.
Officials noted that Santurce has seen other recent violence, including a separate shooting outside a nightclub that left one person dead and several wounded earlier in the week. Police urged residents with information about the ambulance attack to contact them directly or use anonymous tip lines to assist in the investigation, as per the Associated Press.
