Brazen carjacker who was gunned down by Texas dad protecting his family of 8 is ID'd as illegal immigrant

Published: 05:28, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 05:59, 8 May 2026 A carjacker who was shot and killed by a Texas father after he tried to steal a vehicle with the man's family still inside was living in the United States illegally.  Jose Ramirez, 30, a Mexican national who is not a US citizen, has been identified as the man who was caught on surveillance footage approaching the driver's side door of a white sedan parked in a lot in the city of Garland at around 3.30pm on Sunday, Fox 4 reports.  It does not appear Ramirez was a Garland resident either, according to the outlet, and it is unclear when he may have entered the country. He was pronounced dead following his attempted carjacking over the weekend, when its owner allegedly fired more than 10 rounds at him. Shocking surveillance footage showed the unidentified father was still in the vehicle with his relatives as Ramirez approached. He then sprang out of the sedan and attempted to keep Ramirez from entering it, while the rest of his family fled. The two struggled as the carjacker managed to get in the driver's seat, and they continued to tussle until the criminal pushed the father out and stood up, closing the back door before successfully getting into the vehicle again.  Yet the father managed to get around to the passenger's side front door, where he opened fire. Jose Ramirez, 30, a Mexican national who is not a US citizen, was seen walking toward a white sedan before he tried to steal it with a family still inside. Ramirez was later killed by a father who was also in the car Surveillance footage captured the driver trying to get Ramirez out of his car while his family fled at around 3.30pm on Sunday Prior to attempting to steal their vehicle, Ramirez tried to steal two other cars  Tatiana Starks, who manages a nearby smoke shop, said she noticed Ramirez tried to get into other vehicles prior to getting into the family-of-eight's car.  'You could definitely tell that he was not in his right state of mind,' she told Fox 4.  'I’m just glad that the man was able to protect himself and his family.' 'It’s just a blessing that the kids and the family walked away with no injuries,' she added. Police later confirmed Ramirez had attempted to illegally enter two other cars after he 'crashed into two vehicles,' Lieutenant Pedro Barineau told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.  He attempted to get into both vehicles before eventually making his way to the family's sedan, which was parked near a gas station off Highway 66.  The father who opened fire is now unlikely to face any charges, with Lieutenant Barineau telling Fox 4 that his actions 'seemed to be self-defense.'  'It kind of all happened like really fast,' he told the outlet. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.