Fayette Co. grand jury to hear case against man charged with murder of young father
The case of a man who is accused of killing a 24-year-old father during a dispute on Delaware Avenue in Lexington had his case sent to a grand jury for a charge of murder.
At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday morning, the case of what happened between the two men was more complex that what early reports revealed.
Luis Ramos, 29, was arrested at the 900 block of Delaware Avenue Aug. 20 and charged with murder and using restricted ammunition during commission of a crime, as well as unrelated warrants.
Several calls were placed into dispatch reporting shots fired — one from Ramos himself — who claimed he shot 24-year-old Daquan Collins in self defense.
Ramos told the police Collins threatened him with a gun before he shot him. Ramos was there to check on three children in the home who were left alone, he told police. The children’s ages were 1 month, 1 year, and 3 years old.
Lexington Police Department Detective Greg George testified Tuesday morning that the mother of the children, Julia Winburn, was away at work when she discovered Collins had left them alone. In a panic, Winburn called Ramos’ girlfriend, Emma, to ask that the couple check on the children.
According to George, police had been called to the residence before for violence between Winburn and Collins, who were separated but continuing to live together.
Ramos told police he instructed his girlfriend to lock the doors. Emma was on the phone with police and said Collins was attempting to break in. Collins and Ramos went into the driveway, where Ramos is accused of shooting Collins three times.
George testified there was home video surveillance footage which captured the shooting, and showed Collins did not appear to be running towards his vehicle.
Collins was unarmed during the incident, according George’s testimony. No firearm was found inside Collins’ car. A search warrant was executed on Ramos’ vehicle, where a handgun was found loaded with hollow-point ammunition.
Ramos called 911 to report the shooting, according to his arrest citation. He claimed self defense when speaking with investigators but no other witnesses’ statements corroborated Ramos’ claim.
Winburn, the mother of the three children inside the home, was also charged with assaulting a police officer during after they arrived at the residence. According to her police citation, Winburn arrived at the home and ran up to the shooting. Winburn began “crowding” emergency responders, taking their focus off Collins.
An officer attempted to grab hold of Winburn when she began to swing and punch at the officer, and struck him in the right eye.
Her felony charge was amended on Tuesday, when she pleaded guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
After the hearing, Gregory Coulson, Ramos’ trial attorney spoke to media and said early reporting of the incident doesn’t paint the whole picture.
“It is a complex situation with a lot of moving parts, and we ask that people pay attention as the facts unfold,” he said.
