The legal battle over the fatal shooting of 13-year-old AJ Hernandez by San Antonio Police officer Stephen Ramos escalates, with the boy's family filing a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force. The incident, which occurred in June 2022 after Hernandez reportedly rammed a stolen car into a police cruiser, led to his death by gunfire from Officer Ramos. According to the lawsuit obtained by FOX San Antonio, the young boy posed no threat warranting such lethal response.

The family's attorney, Lee Merritt, a known figure in civil rights litigation, stands behind the bereaved mother Lynda Espinoza who reported her son missing during the time leading to the shooting. Despite the Bexar County Grand Jury's decision not to indict Ramos in February 2023, Merritt, who was briefed on recent gunfire in the area, believes this case represents a grave constitutional violation. This was reported in detail by MSN.

Released video and audio clips from Bexar County tell a grim story of the early June night, showing the vehicle allegedly driven by Hernandez crashing into the police car before the fatal shots were fired. Meanwhile, the lawsuit asserts that Officer Ramos "immediately opened fire on the driver side compartment of the vehicle containing (Hernandez) and other minor children who posed no threat of harm to Ramos or to others" as reported by FOX San Antonio.

In a city stirred by injustice, the family's pursuit for accountability extends beyond Ramos to the San Antonio Police Department and city officials. The lawsuit, as espoused by the family's lawyers, addresses the claim that "The Policymakers had a duty, but failed to implement and/or enforce policies, practices and procedures for the San Antonio Police Department (“SAPD”) that respected A.H.’s constitutional rights and protection under the law" as reported by MSN.