Since the death of Enrique Ramirez Trejo, the El Charro family has banded together to support the Trejo family and one another.

Trejo, a 49-year-old father of five, was shot and killed leaving work on June 19 after giving three young men a ride. According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), Trejo’s body was found on Lower River Road, and it was later discovered that he was shot multiple times and his 1999 Ford Expedition had been stolen. One of the suspects, 16-year-old Antavian Love, has been charged, and the NCSO is currently searching for other suspects.

Trejo was the general manager at the El Charro Mexican Restaurant on Covington Bypass Road. Following his death, a memorial was set up in the restaurant on his behalf with help from his wife and the wife of owner Ramon Macias. According to Macias, Trejo was part of the El Charro family for 28 years. He was so involved that customers were more familiar with him than the owners.

About a week has passed since the news of Trejo’s death and the reality has yet to fully set in for his former coworkers.

“It’s tough,” Macias said, wearing a black ribbon over his heart. “Everybody is handling it differently. As the days go by, we’re kind of taking it in. I think right now, it feels like Enrique’s just not showing up for work even though we’re doing all these things. It’s not sinking in.”

Customers, church members and citizens of the Newton County community have sent an outpouring of support to both the Trejo family and the workers of the restaurant. Accompanying the memorial, which is filled with flowers, candles and messages to the Trejo family, is a jar for donations.

“In this case, people feel we need to be together,” Macias said. “It makes no sense what happened, and I think it touches very deep, especially since we’ve known him for so long and he was a good person. We are beyond words.”

The funeral service was set for Saturday, June 25, and the restaurant closed its doors for employees to be able to attend. An Enrique Trejo Memorial Fund has also been set up through GoFundMe to help the Trejo family, which has raised over $12,000 from over 240 people as of Friday afternoon. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/2ajg6krw.

Macias said he would like to thank the customers and community for their support.