Artist shot dead while working on West Oakland mural

The sister of the victim touches the mural her brother worked on at the 3500 block of West St. in Oakland, Calif. where Antonio Ramos was shot and killed on Tues. September 29, 2015, as a friend lights candles. The purple Victorian is the artists' home. less The sister of the victim touches the mural her brother worked on at the 3500 block of West St. in Oakland, Calif. where Antonio Ramos was shot and killed on Tues. September 29, 2015, as a friend lights candles. ... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Artist shot dead while working on West Oakland mural 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

An artist was shot to death Tuesday as he worked on a community mural project in West Oakland, leaving friends and relatives stunned that his life was taken while he was doing something positive.

The painter, identified by friends as Antonio Ramos, 27, of Emeryville, was working on a 4,000-square-foot mural in the 3500 block of West Street, under the Interstate 580 overpass, when he was gunned down around 10:30 a.m., police said.

His aunt, Margaret Holappa, 66, of Hayward, said Ramos was a generous man with a passion for painting.

“He was a good kid, and this was his love,” she said through tears as she stood in front of the unfinished mural Tuesday afternoon. “He was always willing to help out.”

Video: Muralist Killed In Oakland While Painting Message Of Peace

Police officers found Ramos suffering from multiple gunshot wounds after receiving a report of shots fired in the area, said Officer Johnna Watson, spokeswoman for the Police Department.

Ramos was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No arrests have been made.

As news of Ramos’ death spread, friends and family members visited the mural, shedding tears and adding candles to a memorial.

A childhood friend of Ramos’, who asked to be identified only as Kevin F., 26, described him as “very artistic” and “very creative.”

He said the last time he saw Ramos was just two weeks ago, at the spot where he was killed.

“I'm just here just looking at it and realizing this is the last place I saw him,” he said. “How do you do something positive and still get shot for it?”

In the mural, a young boy is depicted wearing a half-painted orange hat and purple hoodie as he looks toward a neighborhood with a row of colorful houses, one of which has a blue Cadillac parked outside. In the middle of the work, three large doors lead to the sky.

Ramos was among 60 artists working on the Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project, a collaboration with West Oakland middle-school students, said officials at Attitudinal Healing Connection, a community group organizing the project.

Dave Young Kim, a professional artist who had known Ramos for three years, called him a “very talented artist” who also dabbled in music and video production.

He first met Ramos while working on a street mural in Oakland. Ramos wasn’t being paid but came to work on the project every day, Kim said.

“That’s just the kind of kid he was,” Kim said. “He was super willing to help. He was very reliable and just had the sort of naivete that was so fun to be around.”

Krystal Carpenter, Ramos' godmother, stood by the memorial for the slain artist in disbelief.

“He was amazing. He was an artist, he works on music, he just does all kinds of stuff,” said Carpenter, a 49-year-old Oakland resident. “He's never been in any trouble with anybody.”

The Super Heroes project has scheduled a candlelight vigil and healing ceremony at the wall, at West Street and 35th Street, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The shooting was the second slaying on the streets of Oakland in less than three hours. Around 8 a.m., a body was discovered wrapped in a plastic sheet on the 2600 block of Union Street, about a mile from where Ramos was killed, police said. That victim’s name has not been released, and no arrests have been made.

Jenna Lyons and Kale Williams are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com, kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jennajourno, @sfkale