NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — A Nashville handyman who was fatally shot in what police call a case of mistaken identity is being remembered by his employer as a joyful man who treated work like family.
Marco Ramirez, 42, was driving into an apartment complex on Old Franklin Road Thursday night when he was struck by a bullet intended for someone else, Metro Police said. The shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute between 22-year-old Dorian Brooks and his girlfriend.
"He was such a cool guy, jovial, happy, always smiling... he lit up a room when he would come in," said Michael Chera from the Chera Company, where Ramirez worked as a handyman for about a year and a half.
Investigators say Brooks was arguing with his girlfriend as she moved out of the apartment complex. When she mentioned another man was coming to pick her up, Brooks allegedly opened fire on a passing car, not realizing Ramirez was inside.
Ramirez worked fixing everything from leaky toilets to landscaping and took pride in his job, often working long hours, Chera said. He regularly sent money home to his wife and children in Colombia.
"You can just see how happy he was… he enjoyed his life, he enjoyed his work, and he enjoyed everything around him," Chera said.
Chera said he still has video of Ramirez from just hours before his death, showing the man's characteristic happiness.
A coworker and friend of Ramirez called Chera with the devastating news.
"She said Marco had been shot, and I said Oh my gosh and at first, you couldn't even believe it was real," Chera said.
Brooks was charged Friday morning with criminal homicide.
Chera has started a GoFundMe campaign to help send Ramirez's body back to Colombia so his family can lay him to rest.
"We just felt like the best thing we could do would be to honor him by helping return his remains to his family, because he really was a great guy," Chera said.
All donations will go toward returning his remains and funeral costs, with any remaining funds given to Ramirez's family.
This story was reported on-air by journalist Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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