Christian Feliciano is set to celebrate his 20th birthday on Aug. 10, but he can be forgiven for not feeling particularly festive this year.

Feliciano’s father, 41-year-old Ramon Alexis Feliciano Nieves, was shot and killed outside of the Center Street Station Bar in the early hours of June 1. Two months later, the man who has been charged with first degree murder in connection with his death, 18-year-old Victor Delgadillo, remains at large along with several of his accomplices alleged to be involved in the altercation that led up to the shooting and aiding his subsequent escape.

Christian, who spent most of his younger years in the Orlando, Fla. area before moving to the town where his father lived, described the pain and anguish he endures on a daily basis.

“It’s been really hard. I can’t even talk to my dad no more, laugh with him no more, hug him, talk to him about how I’ve been feeling,” he said. “It just hurts a lot because my baby sister just turned two before all that happened with my dad.”

His sister, he added, still says “Dada” every time she sees a picture of their father. The fact that Delgadillo hasn’t been apprehended — so far, a single juvenile was arrested on June 26 and charged with accessory after the fact — makes the situation even more difficult for Christian.

“It’s not fair. If you were with him and you know you did wrong, I don’t know why you guys are defending him because yeah, at the moment, y’all thought you were big and bad trying to pick on people,” he said. “And when that happened, everybody ran away with him and they thought there was gonna be no consequences. But sooner or later, there will be justice. They’ll take all of them in. They’re all gonna get charges.”

Up to this point, Christian said he hasn’t interacted with local police, but he’s willing to do “whatever it takes” to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure that they stand trial for their alleged crimes. While his upcoming birthday will almost undoubtedly be more somber than those from years past, he’s holding on to positive memories of his father nonetheless.

“He was always a happy guy. He was always a nice person, always made sure that our family was good, always made sure that we were good. It just sucks,” he said.

Police chief: ‘It’s our top priority’

During a recent interview, Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper didn’t mince words about the importance of resolving the case and bringing all of the suspects to justice.

“It’s still very much an active investigation, and we continue to work with our partners from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Marshal Service,” Tupper said. “It’s our top priority. It’s the number one thing that we are focusing on daily. There is a lot going on with the investigation, (but) nothing we can really discuss publicly.”

Tips from the general public have tapered off recently, Tupper said, and he described the case as “frustrating” due to the overall lack of cooperation from both sides — individuals associated with the victim and the suspect.

“It’s just been very difficult for our investigators, at times, to gather timely information,” he said. “It’s not unusual for people to be uncooperative with the police, but usually (with) a crime of this severity, we tend to get more cooperation than we have.”

In the days following the shooting, a persistent rumor emerged on social media that Delgadillo had fled the country and escaped to Mexico. Tupper told the T-R that while the MPD is investigating “all possibilities,” he doesn’t have any “reason or evidence” to believe the suspect has left the U.S.

“We continue to investigate leads that take us locally and leads that take us outside of the community. We’re gonna exhaust all of those leads, and I’m confident that our investigators will locate Mr. Delgadillo. It’s just gonna take a little more time,” he said. “I have complete faith in our detectives and our investigators working this case. Early on, we partnered with state law enforcement and federal law enforcement, and we’re gonna continue to work with our partners to resolve this case.”

And as he has reiterated on several occasions in the past, Tupper said there will be consequences for those who have aided and abetted Delgadillo in his efforts to avoid apprehension, whether at the scene of the crime or in the two months since.

“I would encourage Mr. Delgadillo to just turn himself in. The fastest way for him to resolve the situation is just turn himself in and make whatever arguments he’s gonna make in the justice system,” Tupper said.

The Marshall County Crime Stoppers are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Delgadillo’s arrest. Tips can be submitted by calling the MPD at (641) 754-5725 or 911. They can also be shared anonymously by calling Marshall County Crime Stoppers at (641) 753-1234 or via text by texting the word “marshall” followed by the tip to CRIMES (274637) or online at www.marshallcountycs.com.