New details emerge in fatal Riverview road rage shooting
A man charged with shooting a man to death after a road rage incident in Riverview in January will remain jailed without bail, a judge ruled Tuesday after a hearing in which new details about the case emerged.
Jorge Ramirez, 21, is charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 16 killing of Bryan Proenza, 34, a father of five. Prosecutors had argued before Judge G. Gregory Green that Ramirez is a danger to the community and should remain in jail until trial.
The hearing included testimony from a detective who said that Ramirez said “Oh, watch this s—t” to his front-seat passenger before getting out of his car and shooting Proenza.
When Ramirez returned to the car after the shooting and the passenger asked what had happened, Ramirez used a racial slur and said he’d shot the man, the detective testified.
Another new detail revealed at the hearing was that Proenza’s 10-year-old son warned his father that Ramirez had a gun. The son then took cover in the family’s Suburban and shielded his younger brother, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said that Proenza’s fiancé, Rachel Keesee, testified that the interaction started at the intersection of Rhodine Road and Balm Riverview Road.
Ramirez began driving aggressively after he believed Proenza was trying to block the entrance to the Kids Cove Learning Academy, which Ramirez was trying to drive through to avoid a traffic light.
Proenza was with Keesee and their two sons in their green Chevy Suburban when they turned north onto Balm Riverview Road and Ramirez began following them in an aggressive manner. Keesee said that Ramirez then rammed the back of their car, causing Keesee to fear for her family’s lives.
Proenza pulled over and got out to check for damage, Keesee said. Ramirez pulled out in front of them at an intersection.
Proenza then got out of the vehicle and walked to his trunk to get two tire irons. According to a court document from the state attorney’s office, Proenza and Ramirez got into an argument before Ramirez shot Proenza three times from about 25 feet away.
Proenza died on his way to the hospital.
“I just felt so helpless,” Keesee previously said to the Tampa Bay Times. “He (Bryan) protected my life and I feel worthless because I couldn’t protect him the way he protected me.”
Ramirez claimed that he shot Proenza because he was coming at him with a pole, which prosecutors said was not supported by the physical evidence at the scene and photographs taken by witnesses.
Ramirez is being held at Falkenburg Road Jail.
Ramirez was initially arrested Jan. 16 on three charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was released three days later on $22,500 bail, court records show. As a condition of his release, Ramirez was ordered not to return to his home in Riverview or contact any witnesses or victims in the case.
When Ramirez was out on bail, Proenza’s mother, Sylvia Proenza, told the Times that the family hadn’t gone anywhere. The thought of seeing the person who shot him was nerve-wracking for them, she said.
A month later, Ramirez was arrested on the murder charge.
“I feel relieved,” Keesee told the Tampa Bay Times Tuesday after the judge’s decision to hold Ramirez in jail. “My children feel more safe with this decision and that makes me feel good.”
