RAMONA, Calif. — The widow of a man shot to death last week outside his home in Ramona is speaking out about the father of four and grandfather of two.
Mario Cardoso Romero, 46, worked in construction and painting to provide for his family, according to his widow, Silvia Valencia.
“He was the type of guy who would just make everybody laugh. Out of nowhere he would just come up with jokes,” Valencia said.
“He was always happy. Very loving. He was that cowboy type. He was that guy who would go horse riding, spend a lot of time with his family. He loved his two younger girls,” the widow recalled.
Cardoso’s children are ages 21, 15, 6, and 4. He has two grandsons.
Valencia was inside their Ramona home on Pine Street last Thursday, when she heard gunshots outside just before 6 a.m.
“I was the first one to find him on the ground. And a little later, with all the commotion, my 15-year-old son and my daughter were there, too. So, it's been really hard for them both because they actually saw their dad die,” she said.
“He was unconscious. And my other little ones were peeking through the window. Because I know my 6-year-old said, 'why are they holding daddy where his hands are so relaxed and hanging?' She must have seen something where he was picked up from the ground. It really, truly broke my heart,” Valencia said.
San Diego County Sheriff’s homicide detectives told the family not to speak publicly about details of the case because of the ongoing investigation, Valencia said.
No one has been arrested.
Cardoso’s home is located next door to a medical marijuana dispensary.
A Sheriff’s spokesperson emailed News 8 the following update on Monday:
“The shooting occurred at a residence. The adjacent property is a legal marijuana dispensary. While the investigation is ongoing, there is nothing currently tying this murder to the dispensary. The dispensary management have cooperated with the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the family is struggling to pay for funeral expenses.
“The funeral and mortuary bill is going to amount to almost $22,000. So, I'm trying to raise some funds to cover most of the cost,” the widow said.
She said the family is sticking together and supporting one another.
“We have good communication as far as sharing our feelings, and making sure that our feelings are validated, in that, it's okay to cry. It's part of the healing process that we all need to go through,” she said.
The family has started a GoFundMe page to raise money.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department issued the following news release update on Monday:
Sheriff's Homicide detectives continued their investigation into the shooting homicide of an adult male in Ramona. The Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy and has identified the victim as Mario Velazquez Cardoso, a forty-six-year-old resident of Ramona. The victim's family has been notified of his death. The preliminary cause of death is a gunshot wound and the manner of death is homicide. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Unit at (858) 258-6330/after hours at (858) 565-5200. You can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Information from prior release: On November 5, 2020, at about 5:48 a.m., the Sheriff's Department received a report of a gunshot heard in the 600 block of Pine Street in Ramona. The reporting party found a man on the ground in front of a neighboring home. Deputies from the Ramona Sheriff's Substation responded to the scene and began lifesaving efforts. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment but did not survive...There is no one in custody for this incident.
