The Oakland Police Department has announced that they've arrested a suspect in the September 29 slaying of 27-year-old Antonio Ramos, an artist who was helping complete a mural under a freeway overpass in West Oakland at the time. Though initial reports were unclear whether the suspect was the same man who was pictured here, in a photo released earlier of a person of interest in the case, NBC Bay Area confirms that the man in custody, Marquise Holloway, is the same man.
Holloway will be arraigned in Alameda County court today at 2 p.m., and charged with both robbery and murder.
Per the Chron, Holloway allegedly walked up to the scene where Ramos was working on the mural, on West Street beneath the 580 overpass, and after some type of brief but heated daltercation, fatally shot Ramos before fleeing on foot. The OPD now says they "believe the motive in Ramos’ shooting is related to something that erupted at the scene, rather than to a running dispute."
Ironically, the mural that Ramos was working on was part of the Super Heroes Mural Project, organized by a local nonprofit in their work to break the cycle of violence in the community. That group, the Attitudinal Healing Connection (AHC) of Oakland, aims to reduce blight and create agents of change in neighborhoods by engaging youths in in the project. On their site, they write, "The The Board of Directors and Staff of AHC wish to express our gratitude for your love and support for the loss of Antonio Ramos and the emotional trauma surrounding the tragic event. Slowly, it is beginning to subside, and with your support we will move forward with AHC's vision to complete the remaining murals." You can donate to that work here.
Ramos was working on Mural #3 in a series of six in West Oakland, and it has now been dedicated to him and also bears an image of his face at one side of it.
Oakland police say an arrest has been made in the murder of the man who painted this mural, Antonio Ramos. pic.twitter.com/wkaObRd3SP
— carolyn tyler (@ctylerabc7) November 23, 2015
Previously: Here's The Person Of Interest In The Oakland Muralist Slaying