Release Date: October 16, 2009

Contact:   Derek Malan, Senior Deputy District Attorney

               654-2536

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten announced today that a jury has found Sergio Jacobo Ramos (DOB 4/9/81) guilty of the attempted murder of William Kyle Hoffman and found true the special allegation that Ramos personally and intentionally discharged a firearm during the commission of that crime. The jury also found Ramos guilty of one count of committing an assault with a semiautomatic firearm arising from the same incident.

The shooting occurred during the early morning hours of May 18, 2008, in the unincorporated area of Oak View. Ramos fired a semiautomatic handgun seven times at Hoffman because Ramos believed that he was responsible for an earlier vandalism at the Ramos residence. This case was solved after an extensive 10-month investigation by members of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department Gang Unit, which included the service of search warrants and the ultimate recovery of the firearm used.

After the jury's verdict, Ramos' bail was revoked and he was remanded to the custody of the Ventura County Sheriff. Sentencing is set for November 17, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 47. Because the jury found that Ramos personally discharged a firearm during the commission of an attempted murder, Ramos faces a minimum sentence of 25 years in state prison.