QUINCY - The family of a Quincy man who was fatally shot last summer is alleging ongoing harassment by suspected gang members believed to be connected to the shooting.

"We've been picked on for seven months since my brother was killed," said Sonia Munoz, sister of shooting victim Ramiro Munoz Jr., who was known by many as Junior. "They've been constantly harassing our family, telling us they're going to kill us, and there's only so much that we can take."

Munoz was referring to several suspected gang members who live in Quincy just a few houses away from the residence of her brother, Juan Munoz. She, Juan and several other family members interviewed for this story claim alleged gang members have verbally threatened them on numerous occasions as well as flashing gang signs and making hand gestures in the shape of a gun.

The latest incident occurred last week, when Quincy Police responded to separate instances of alleged gang members publicly arguing with members of the Munoz family.

While both sides reportedly told police the other side initiated the confrontations, Quincy Police Sgt. Paul Snyder said based on the investigation, it appears both groups were challenging each other to fight in the street.

But Sonia Munoz says the family was having a barbecue in her brother's front yard when they were confronted by the alleged gang members.

"We told (the police) they threatened to shoot us, that they wanted to kill us, and they said there was nothing they could do about that," she said. "They said in order for them to do anything we have to file a restraining order."

Raquel Munoz DeLaGarza, Junior's wife of eleven years, said after being harassed by suspected gang members herself she's looked into getting restraining orders, only to discover she'd have to pay $63 per order for each individual. The expense makes the option unfeasible, she said.

After months of run-ins with suspected gang members, Juan Munoz no longer lets his children walk to their friends' houses out of fear for their safety, and says even before his brother was shot the neighborhood has been a hot spot for gang graffiti and burglaries. Munoz, who rents his house, said he's considered moving away from the area.

"The way things are going in this town, (the police) are letting (gang members) do what they want, saying 'We can't tell them they can't walk in the street. It's a public street.' But you know they're gangsters and you guys don't do anything," he said.

"If they report it, we investigate," Snyder said earlier this week. "A restraining order is always a useful tool, but it's not an end-all solution. It's easier to prove were you or were you not in the area, but actions between two individuals are always difficult to prove."

Snyder added a search of the city's dispatched call database shows no calls made regarding harassment from Juan Munoz's address since Junior's murder. The family members didn't call on either of the instances last week and has been reluctant to fill out written statements, he said.

"They have not been the most cooperative victims, if indeed they are victims," he said.

Sonia Munoz said her brother, Juan, was approached again this week by suspected gang members who threatened him, but he didn't call the police because he feels they won't do anything to help the issue.

"They argued and he went inside, he walked away," she said. "That's what the police told us to do is just walk away and don't do anything, but what are we doing then? By walking away and staying locked up in our homes then we're giving all the power to these gang members, and they're acting like they have control over the whole town, which basically they do now because they know the laws and they know what they can get away with."

Full jail

Munoz also questions why, when she was arrested last week, she was put in the same holding cell as Erika Hernandez, who was arrested twice for disorderly conduct stemming from the confrontations, but was immediately released the first time due to an over-full jail.

According to Quincy police officials and members of the Munoz family, Hernandez returned to Juan Munoz's residence after her initial release, at which time police say the two women began "challenging each other to fight using gestures and words."

"It was my first time being in jail," Munoz said of her arrest. "I wasn't able to sleep that night because (Hernandez) had threatened that she was going to kill me, so I was up the whole night."

Grant County Jail Chief Deputy Joe Kriete said the two women were at first placed in the same holding cell because the jail is overcrowded and has just four cells available for a variety of needs.

"We have to get creative in how we house people," he said. "It's pretty full most days, especially the holding area."

Kriete said Munoz and Hernandez were separated and questioned after jail staff became aware of the conflict between them. Since neither had a history of violence at the jail and had apparently reconciled their differences for the time being, Kriete said they were put back into the same cell before being transferred to a female dormitory and housed overnight with about 15 other female offenders.

"We talked to them and confirmed there was no problem and we needed the room so we put them back together," he said.

Ramona Medina, the mother of Sonia, Juan and Junior Munoz, is frustrated that her daughter was arrested over an argument while the man suspected of killing her son remains free seven months after the shooting. Police recently issued a warrant for Valenzuela Navarro, who has been charged with second degree murder.

"That's what really bothers me," she said. "My kids are being harassed constantly. I would like to see some arrests. I would like to see (the gang members) put in jail instead of arresting people who are just arguing."

Medina said she too has had gang members pass by her house, shouting at her and flashing gang signs, but more than for her own safety, she's worried gang members will eventually target another of her children.

"What's going to happen? Are they going to call me in the middle of the night and say one of my other kids is dead?" she said. "Every time the phone rings in the middle of the night I'm terrified to answer it and I have to. It comes back at me and it opens all those wounds again."

Sonia Munoz said she resents being lumped in with gang members as part of the problem when, in her view, the family is simply standing up for themselves.

"We're not gang members, we're just a family that's tired of being harassed by these gang members and we want solutions," she said. "We're just so tired of it. We want to be able to mourn our brother in peace and we can't do that."