A man, also known as Ricco Passmore, aged 49, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday for fatally shooting Damian Martinez Ortiz, aged 38, during a road-rage incident on August 29, 2023. The shooting occurred near the I-94 on-ramp from Dowling Avenue North at around 6 p.m.
Court records reveal that Howard/Passmore was not allowed to possess a firearm due to a previous criminal conviction. Surveillance footage shows Ortiz in a blue BMW, and Howard/Passmore in a white Volvo, and the two got into a road rage incident on the ramp to the interstate. Ortiz then got out of his car and approached Howard/Passmore, who was seated in the Volvo, resulting in Ortiz collapsing and the Volvo driving away. Ortiz got back in his BMW and crashed, later dying in the hospital.
Authorities were able to track Howard/Passmore to a nearby gas station after obtaining Volvo’s license plate via surveillance video. The passenger who drove the Volvo away from the gas station told investigators that Ortiz allegedly punched Howard/Passmore, who then fired a shot and fled the scene. During his interview with investigators, Howard/Passmore admitted to the road rage incident but initially denied shooting Ortiz. He later claimed that another passenger in the Volvo fired the fatal shot, but he could not provide any identifying information about that person.