The city of Syracuse suffered their first homicide of the new year.

According to police, officers responded to the 1400 block of South Salina Street around 11 p.m. Tuesday for a call of a shooting with injuries. When officers arrived to the scene, they found 18-year-old Ezequiel Ruiz dead after being fatally shot.

 

 

There's no word on motive or most of the circumstances surrounding the shooting but Ruiz's mother says whoever shot him wasn't looking for him. She says her son got a text message to go to the parking lot where he was killed. She says the shooter wanted her son's friend because of an argument.

"I cry, i scream because I miss him. I had his food waiting on the table for him last night and no one was there for it. It's kind of hard. I know god is going to help me to go through all of this but it's a process," said Ruiz's mother Daisy Olmeda.

Ruiz's mother says he liked to play sports and help people. She says he loved Syracuse and he was friendly with everyone he met.

"When you meet him he was like come to my house, let's do this, let's do that and people like that. He was like that. He was a very nice boy," said Olmeda.

She says she's still in shock after finding out that her son was shot and killed. She just wants to see violence in Syracuse end.

"It's not fair that young people be killing young people. You've got a whole life. I always said the mother should die first and you son should bury you, not you bury your son. That's all I could say," said Olmeda.

The homicide remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Syracuse Police Department at 315-442-5222.