Investigators still looking for leads after man was shot in sleep in Catawba County

Residents are still shaken by a shooting the day after Thanksgiving when more than a dozen rounds were fired into a home northeast of Hickory. Adrian Ramirez, who was inside the home, was shot and killed in his sleep.

Eric Gigee, whose mother dated Ramirez, was asleep with him when rounds tore through his family's home.

"I thought it was a dream.  I couldn't believe it,” Gigee said. “I didn't want it to be true."

According to a search warrant, deputies have seized surveillance video from around the home.

Channel 9 confirmed the equipment was working when someone opened fire outside the residence.  Deputies are not saying what was captured by the cameras, but court documents reveal they also recovered several shell casings in the driveway several feet away from those surveillance cameras.

"He was a good man,” Gigee said. “He came down here to change his life, to make everything better so he could be with his kid."

Investigators are not talking about a motive in the case.

But Gigee said he noticed a tire print on the road and footprints near signs leading to the home warning about the surveillance equipment in use.

"I found a tire print down there on the side of the road and footprints near the telephone pole right there,” Gigee said. “I hope they get caught. I hope they get what they deserve."

Three cellphones were taken from the home as evidence. Deputies told Channel 9 they are searching those phone records in hopes of getting a lead in the case.

Cox Media Group