By David Taylor / Managing Editor
HOUSTON — A North Shore father is being remembered as a hero after family members say he gave his life to protect his son’s best friend, 18-year-old Gerardo Ramirez, during a shooting that followed the theft of his son’s truck.
Louis Erebia, 56, died after family members say he threw himself over Ramirez, who had already been shot, to shield him from more gunfire. Ramirez later told the family that Erebia saved his life, according to Erebia’s wife, Amanda.
“The one thing I know for sure, because the detective told us they got the video from Exxon (gas station), is that Louis ran to jump on my son’s best friend to shield him because they were shooting at him and had already shot him,” Amanda Erebia said. “When he did that, he saved him and he died because of it. His friend Gerardo got out of the hospital today and told us that Louis died saving him.”
The violence began Saturday afternoon after Erebia’s son, Logan, was carjacked by gunpoint at a gas station in the 11800 block of Tidwell Road (near John Ralston) in northeast Harris County on Saturday, June 6, according to family accounts.
“He (Logan) was at a gas station and a gentleman came up to him and was talking very kindly to him saying, ‘Hey, I really like your truck. Tell me about your truck.’ Next thing you know, he pulls out a firearm and put it to Logan’s temple,” his aunt, Amber Burrough said.
The son called his father hysterical.
“Like any father would, he jumped in to protect his son,” Burrough said.
Months prior to the carjacking, Erebia put a tracking device in the truck since it had been stolen before. He used the device to locate the vehicle.
Family members said Erebia drove to the location on the tracking device and found it under an overpass near the Airline Drive and Loop 610 area. A confrontation followed, ending in a crash. The suspect fled, and amid the chaos, Ramirez — described by the family as Logan’s best friend — was shot.
That is when Erebia, who was unarmed, ran to protect the wounded teenager, relatives said.
Amanda Erebia said her husband “was not running to catch the idiots,” pushing back on accounts that suggested he had been chasing the gunman. Instead, she said, he acted solely to protect Ramirez.
Remembering a great father
Burrough, Amanda Erebia’s sister, said the family wants the public to remember Louis Erebia not for the violence of his death, but for the way he lived — and for the final act that reflected that life.
“He actually used his body to shield that boy,” Burrough said. “He had already been shot twice, and Louis took the hits so that he shielded that child.”
Burrough said Erebia’s instinct to protect others was consistent with the way he moved through the world.
“He was a father to all. He was a champion to all,” she said. “There were so many boys left and right that would come up to us and hug us saying, ‘Louis picked me up for baseball,’ or ‘He took me to school,’ and he didn’t even have to.”
Community responds
The family said the community response has been immediate and overwhelming. Burrough said loved ones filled the family’s home in the aftermath of the shooting, helping clean, comfort relatives and pray with them. At church, she said, Erebia was honored during services, though Amanda Erebia was too grief-stricken to attend in person.
“They’re so surrounded by love,” Burrough said. “When I left their house, there were nine people cleaning it. They’re just surrounded by people who love them and are honored to give back for the love that Louis gave us.”
In a family statement, relatives described Erebia as “a devoted husband,” “a father of five,” and “a grandfather of three,” adding that he was “much more than a victim in a news story.”
“He was the kind of man this world desperately needs more of,” the statement said. “He was hardworking, humble, and always willing to help anyone in need.”
The statement also highlighted his years of service to North Shore Little League, where he volunteered long after his own children had stopped playing, and to his church, where relatives said he was deeply involved. The family said he also supported activities across Galena Park ISD, where his children attended school and where Amanda Erebia serves as a trustee.
Burrough said Erebia’s death has shaken a wide circle of friends, neighbors and former players who knew him through church, baseball and everyday acts of kindness.
“They loved hard and they loved each other and they loved their family and they loved their God,” Burrough said. “He would give the shirt off his back.”
For the family, the loss is immeasurable. For the community, they say, his final act only confirmed what they already knew.
“The man we lost was a hero,” the family said.
The fallout
According to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, 37-year-old London Hogan Sr. has been charged with murder in the death of Louis Erebia, 56. Hogan is also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the non-fatal shooting of 18year-old Gerardo Ramirez of Galena Park, and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in connection with the original truck theft of Logan Erebia.
Hogan appeared in court on Monday before a trial judge in the 339th District Court where bond was denied.
Leave a Comment: