Video shows fatal shooting of Oakland mother who confronted suspected drug dealers; 3 people arrested

Oakland police announced Friday that they had arrested an adult man and two teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting of a mother of eight who confronted suspected drug dealers outside her home earlier this month.

The Oakland Police Department made the announcement during a press conference late Friday morning. Maria Ramos was shot dead in East Oakland on August 7.

The shooting occurred in the afternoon in the 5600 block of Hilton Street. Officers arrived around 2:30 p.m. and found a victim with at least one gunshot wound. The person was pronounced dead at the scene.

As CBS News Bay Area reported earlier this weekThe incident occurred when Ramos and her mother confronted a group in a car suspected of dealing drugs near the intersection of Hilton Street and Bancroft Avenue. Police said she was shot by one of the vehicle's occupants.

Recently obtained surveillance footage showed the shooting that killed Ramos.

The suspects were in the sedan seen in the video. The victims stopped their SUV right next to them. Ramos comes out and approaches the suspects.

They immediately shot at her, and the passenger fired more shots as she ran away.

On Friday, Oakland police shared how they were able to make a quick arrest, confirming that a young adult male and two teenage boys were quickly identified and arrested.

“Within minutes, our patrol team and SWAT team went into action, identified the vehicle, located it and arrested three suspects within the next 12 hours,” said Deputy Police Chief Frederick Shavies.

Police were unable to determine the identity of the adult arrested in this case.

The death of the 33-year-old mother of eight children aged 1 to 15 has devastated the family.

Earlier this week, the victim's mother, Blanca Velasco, said Ramos' five-year-old daughter was still waiting for her mother to return home.

“She says, 'I heard mom is dead, but she's coming back from the hospital, right, grandma?'” said Blanca Velasco, Ramos' mother. “I would say, 'Yes,' because I don't know how to tell her she's not coming back.”

On Friday, Velasco said she felt justice had been done.

“I'm happy that they caught the people right away,” Velasco said. “I'm just not happy that they released one of them.”

Velasco was the driver behind the wheel of the SUV in the video. She said investigators released a boy who was riding in the suspect's car using a GPS ankle bracelet.

“I'm angry because my daughter is not coming home. Why was he allowed to go home?” Velasco asked.

Detectives are investigating whether Ramos sprayed the suspects with pepper spray before shooting them.

“I'm not saying she did it, because I really didn't witness it,” Velasco said. “But even if she did, that's no excuse for taking someone's life.”

Authorities believe a minor fired the fatal shots at Ramos. Velasco fears that the prosecutor will not charge him as an adult given his age.

“If you're big enough to get a gun and kill someone, you're big enough to pay the price,” she said.

Velasco told CBS News Bay Area that she plans to move out of Oakland with her grandchildren to keep them safe.