Family grieving over loss of man killed in Pueblo shooting

A Pueblo family is grieving after a man was shot and killed in what they call a “senseless death”.

32-year-old Ricky Muniz was shot near his home on Routt Avenue after he tried to stop vandals from tagging his house with gang graffiti.

His family is still in shock that he is gone.

“I’ll miss his smile, his music, his laugh,” sister-in-law Pauline Trujillo said. “No matter how bad your day was, he could make you smile.”

Muniz’s brother, Ronnie, said Ricky was known for his music and his jokes.

“He played all over the place and everybody loved it,” he said. “If you want to get to know Ricky, just listen to his music.”

Muniz and Trujillo also talked about what a good uncle Ricky was.

“He would come over and play with our son for hours. Get our son to play music and laugh like no one else could,” Trujillo said.

The couple couldn’t bear the thought of having to tell their young son what happened to his uncle and best friend.

“We’re going to have to tell him he’ll never get to see his uncle again, never get to have sleepovers again,” Trujillo said through tears.

Even neighbors couldn’t stop singing Ricky’s praise.

“He was an all-around great guy. I’m a widow and he would constantly come over and check on me, make sure I was ok, and just visit with me,” Jacque Roybal said. “I’ll really miss seeing him around.”

Muniz and Trujillo said the loss is crushing, but they forgive whoever the shooter was.

“Forgiveness is hard in an event like the one we are going through but I have to forgive to try to move on,” Muniz said. “It’s what Ricky would want.”

Now, they just hope his death isn’t in vain.

“The violence has got to stop,” Muniz said. “People are dying for no reason.”

“It’s disappointing it’s come to this,” Trujillo said. “I don’t want another family to have to go through this.”

Police are still looking for the shooter. If you have any information, police say do not approach anyone and instead call them.