Reno police obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect in the gang-related shooting that killed a 50-year-old grandmother Saturday.

Police are looking for 24-year-old Miguel Antonio Padron, who is also known as "Spirit." The arrest warrant is for one count of murder with the use of a firearm and one count of attempted murder with the use of a firearm, according the Sgt. Kim Bradshaw.

"He's absolutely considered armed and dangerous. He's a member of a criminal gang and obviously, we have evidence that he killed a woman," Bradshaw said.

Officers say Reno resident, Esther Ramirez, 50, her 24-year-old son, and 7-year-old grandson were on their way to dinner when they stopped at the 7-11 at the corner of Neil and Peckham, and were confronted by several gang members. Ramirez's son was reportedly associated with a gang in the past, but has not been involved for some time, according to police.

In the altercation that followed, they say, the men pulled guns and opened fire. The woman stepped in front of her son to shield him, and was fatally shot in the chest. She died at a local hospital.

Ramirez's son was treated for minor injuries and released. The 7-year-old was not hurt but is said to be distraught.

Two other men have been identified but are not being charged with anything right now, Bradshaw said. Police say they would like to speak with the two men about what they saw.

"We really want to just stop the violence and one of the best ways to do that is to get Mr. Padron in custody and find the other two subjects so we can find out what they know and what they saw," Bradshaw said.

Reno police say they have recovered the car involved the shooting. They say the owner of the car was not the suspect or one of two persons of interest they have been looking for, but he saw television reports of the crime and decided to turn the car over. Police have not made any arrests.

Ramirez lived in the Reno area since 1985, according to police, and prior to her death worked as a cook at a local restaurant.

The shooting comes just days after the release of the city's latest annual gang report that shows a decrease in the number of gang felony crimes between 2007 and 2008, and an increase in gang arrests. But writers of the report also acknowledge an increasing violence in gang activity in the Truckee Meadows.

"Today, the mentality of local gang members promotes violence any place, any time, and against anyone," the report says. In the past, gang members would use a "... baseball bat or a knife" during an altercation, but "Today, local gang members have armed themselves with increasingly sophisticated weapons in an effort to surpass other criminal gangs' weaponry."

Even more disturbing, tagging crews that traditionally paint graffiti on walls, billboards and cars, are now imitating gang behavior, committing "violent crimes, shootings, beatings and robberies to promote their crews." Police now call them "Tag Bangers."

"We've had shootings over graffiti-related incidents," said Sgt. Ray Magee of the Regional Gang Unit. "They fight over the right to tag a certain area."

Anyone with information about the shooting over the weekend is urged to call Secret Witness at 322-4900.