Internet praises father of 19-year-old Carlos Laguna Jr for using TikTok to find his son’s killer
FORT WORTH, TEXAS: A distraught father claims that his hunt for justice and the videos he posted on TikTok assisted authorities in finding his son's suspected killer five months after his death.
20-year-old Martin Ramirez-Lopez, charged with the murder of 19-year-old Luis Carlos Laguna Jr, is being held with $500,000 bond.
Luis Laguna Sr looked for his son's killer on TikTok for months.
Luis Laguna Sr used TikTok to share videos about son's death
Luis's son Carlos was shot and killed in his truck after a ranch concert in Fort Worth in November 18, 2023. Carlos was attending Tarrant County College with the intention of joining the Navy, just like his father, according to Fox4 News.
"My son and his two friends were leaving this ranch party in North Fort Worth. When they were leaving, they got into an argument with another group of individuals, both male and females. And it was strictly verbal, just arguing back and forth," Luis said.
"There was no pushing, there was no punching — nothing like that. Nothing physical. The two groups separated. My son went on his way with his friends. They got in his truck. As the truck was leaving, this individual shot through the back of the truck and hit my son," he went on to say.
According to Laguna, despite his friends' best efforts, he was unable to be revived until paramedics arrived. Carlos' best friend rang Luis and Lourdes Laguna's doorbell early on November 18, telling them that their son was hospitalized following a "shooting" and that they should wake up.
If Carlos' friend hadn't told them their son was in the hospital, Laguna and his wife would never have known, and their son might have "passed away alone in that hospital without his family around," Fox News Digital reported.
Carlos, a 19-year-old boy, was murdered in a remote area with no cameras. The Fort Worth Police Department was investigating the case, but weeks went by without answers.
Luis wanted to spread the word and ask potential witnesses to share the information. He used TikTok to share videos about his son and ask for their help. Luis believed that reaching the kids who were at the party would be more effective through social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Luis Laguna Sr now focused on facing Ramirez-Lopez in court
Earlier this month, Luis posted the update he had been waiting for and got a call from a Fort Worth detective. "They found the guy that shot Carlitos and made the arrest," he told his TikTok viewers.
A murder charge has Ramirez-Lopez incarcerated in the Tarrant County jail right now. Although Luis claims the Fort Worth police told him his videos were helpful, the police would not provide any more information about what transpired before the arrest.
"He said the TikTok videos did it. He said someone saw the videos and came forward with information," Luis said. "I felt that was the only way I could do justice for him because there was nothing I could do to protect him. As a father, that really hurts me. Because a father should be there to protect his family."
"The weeks went by. Weeks turned into months, and then still nothing," Luis remarked. After five months, that changed. Luis claims to be eternally grateful. Now he is focused on the next step, which is to face his son's alleged murderer in court.
"It means the world to us, me and my family," he said. "This guy is finally off the streets. He can’t do this to anybody else. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Although there was a disagreement of some kind prior to the murder, the reason behind it is still unknown. Why Ramirez-Lopez pulled the trigger is still unknown. He's still incarcerated in Tarrant County.
Internet thanked proactive dad
As soon as the news of Luis using TikTok to find his son's killer went viral on Facebook, users started praising him. A used wrote in the comments section, "Good going dad!!!! Sorry for your loss. Prayers for your family."
Another user praised Luis saying, "Thank you to the Dad who got proactive with TikTok and social media to find this killer."
The third commentator remarked pyaring for Carlos, "May your son rest in peace. The existence of social software has many aspects. Sometimes it can help us a lot."
"Now to see how they'll actually punish his killer!" wrote fourth person waiting for the suspect to be punished.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
