Illegal killed his son for a pack of cigarettes: the story of an activist standing behind a wall at the border

A resident of the Phoenix (Arizona), whose son was killed by an illegal immigrant, says he does not want the other parent to suffer a similar loss, from which he cannot recover even almost five years later. Therefore, he invests in the fight against illegal immigration, writes The daily signal.

Фото: Depositphotos

"It's devastating," Steve Ronnebeck said of the death of his son Grant, who was killed at age 21 by an illegal immigrant for a pack of cigarettes.

22 January 2015, Grant worked the night shift at the QuikTrip gas station in Mesa, Arizona.

Illegal immigrant from Mexico Apolinar Altamirano entered the gas station at 3: 45 in the morning, asked for cigarettes and threw a handful of coins on the counter.

According to police, Grant began to count money, but apparently not fast enough.

29-year-old Altamirano asked why he didn’t give him cigarettes, and Grant replied that he should initially count the money.

In response, Altamirano pulled out a gun, and a frightened Grant immediately handed him a pack of cigarettes.

“At that point, the man shot Grant in the face, killing him instantly. He then stepped over Grant's body, grabbed a couple more packs of cigarettes and walked out the door,” Ronnebeck said, citing surveillance footage.

On the subject: 'Trump Wall': everything you need to know about her in numbers

According to him, the murder of his son prompted him to openly talk about the threat posed by unlimited illegal immigration to America.

Today 52-year-old Ronnebek is on the advisory board WeBuildTheWall.us, a civil society organization raising awareness of the threat of illegal immigration, as well as raising funds to build a wall along the southern border.

“I definitely realized that I needed to fight - not only for him, but for other people. I don't want to be famous. I just don't want this to happen to anyone else. He gave me this purpose in my life,” Ronnebeck explained.

The man has two more children: a daughter, who is now 28 years old, and the youngest son, who is now 19 years old. He regrets that Grant's life ended too soon.

“He was just starting his life. He had dreams, he had plans. You don't really understand all the things you'll miss until you start missing them. Christmas, the holidays, they're terrible. It's a scary four-month period that starts with Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then the anniversary of his death, and then his birthday, all between November and March,” the inconsolable father said.

Ronnebeck says Grant was a generous son who paid a third of family bills to help the family.

On the subject: Hundreds of illegal immigrants in caravans of migrants have a criminal history in the USA

When his son was killed, Ronnebek learned that the accused was an illegal immigrant who had been in the United States since 14 years.

“He had previously been convicted of burglary, but in fact it was more serious - he, his wife and another man broke into someone else's house. They held the woman captive for 10 days, sexually assaulting her, pumping her full of heroin and frightening her to the point where she became an unreliable witness,” Ronnebeck said.

At the same time, illegal immigrants allowed to reach a deal with the investigation into the burglary case.

“He never spent a day in jail. He had a two-year probationary period. It was day 792 of his probation with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and his deportation hearing had not even been scheduled. He was able to bypass the system. Stories like this happen every day,” said Ronnebeck.

On the day of the murder of his son, Ronnebeck worked at the Pep Boys auto parts store when his ex-wife called and asked if Grant contacted him.

He replied that his son was at work. And then he called him on his cell phone, but received no answer. After that, he called the QuikTrip gas station, but no one answered either.

And then the wife called back and told him: "This is in the news."

Ronnebeck says he did not understand that Grant was killed until he arrived at a gas station to find out about the situation. There he met manager Grant, when he saw Ronnebek, he began to cry, then the man realized that his son was no more.

On the subject: How much do illegal immigrants cost Americans?

Now he is fighting for protection against illegal immigrants who could be dangerous for the United States.

For those who call the wall along the southern border immoral, Ronnebek asks why people take security measures in their own homes and communities.

“Do you have a fence around your house, do you close the doors at night? Is it effective at keeping people away from their home? The wall is the same story. It makes sense. The wall is needed for our protection,” the man emphasizes.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Illegals hiding from deportation in churches face heavy fines

'Return every dollar': USCIS officially warned immigrants not to receive social assistance

More than 1 million immigrants per year: who are these people and what awaits them in the US

Five common misconceptions about green cards

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.