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Who is Ricardo Castro? LA Sheriff's deputy charged with murder after 95-mph crash that killed boy, 12

Castro has been charged with murder and other counts in connection with a 2021 high-speed, off-duty crash in South Gate

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Ricardo Castro, 28, is charged with murder after he crashed his car into another vehicle. On Wednesday, February 15, the authorities said that the officer was driving almost 95 mph in a school zone when he crashed his car, killing a 12-year-old boy and severely injuring two passengers in an off-duty incident. Castro now faces counts of vehicular manslaughter, and reckless driving, causing great bodily injury for November 3, 2021, incident.

The 28-year-old collided in South Gate, southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. The victim’s name who was killed in the crash was Isaiah Suarez Rodriguez. His sister was severely injured after being hit by Castro’s Ford Pickup, informed South Gate Police Chief Darren Arakawa at a news conference on Wednesday. "Driving at 95 mph was nearly quadruple the speed limit when schoolchildren are present, which shows a conscious disregard for those children’s lives," Gascón told the press. He added, "Mr. Castro’s recklessness ended the life of a boy with an entire future ahead of him and destroyed a family.”

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'Criminal misconduct will not be tolerated'

In an official statement, the sheriff's department said, "What we can say is, Sheriff Robert Luna expects all members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to always hold themselves to the highest ethical and professional standards." It continued, "Criminal misconduct will not be tolerated and the department members, who allegedly violate the law, will be held accountable." Castro was initially kept on paid administrative leave since the crash and after the charges were established against him, he is now relieved from his duty without pay, as per the department, reports NBC News.

'We're completely broken'

Castro has a history of several collisions and had received traffic tickets on multiple occasions, including speeding citations. Court records didn’t mention if he had a lawyer listed to represent him. He was presented in the court for an initial appearance on Wednesday and remains in custody in place of $2.3 million bail, according to jail records. The 12-year-old boy’s mother, Betsabe Suarez, told the press on Wednesday that he was thoughtful, brave, and caring, and she remembered that on the day of the crash, her son had gone out to purchase a ruler for a classmate who had had hers taken by bullies at school. The shattered mother said, "He was full of grace. We're completely broken.”