Teen cleared in shooting that killed man in Fresno County

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno County teen will not be held responsible for a deadly shooting in Del Rey last March.

55-year-old Ruben Ramirez was shot and killed near Bethel and Jefferson avenues.

Sheriff's deputies say the Parlier man died at the scene from a single gunshot.

Several months later in November, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with the shooting.

At the time, deputies said the teen suspect was a student at Sanger West High School and had ties to a street gang.

But now, the teen is going free.

"The DA had failed to meet their burden of showing our client was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge agreed and found the allegations not true, which is the juvenile equivalent of not guilty. The charges were dismissed and he was released," explained defense attorney Kiley Clevenger.

Clevenger told Action News the teen was a good student and had never been in trouble.

The Fresno County District Attorney's Office says there was essentially a juvenile trial in which the judge dismissed the petition against the boy.

It's unclear what charges were in that petition, as it was sealed from the public.

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