Ron Harnish (7 of Clubs, California)

Summary

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The Deck — Episode Summary

Title: Ron Harnish (7 of Clubs, California)
Host: Ashley Flowers
Release Date: October 1, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Deck explores the cold case of Ron Harnish, a 22-year-old Navy sailor gunned down in San Diego in 2006. Nearly 19 years later, his murder remains unsolved despite strong suspicions regarding two gang members, particularly one pseudonymously called “Rich.” The episode weaves together the perspectives of investigators, Ron’s family, and the ongoing hope for closure, as police use new forensic technologies in an attempt to finally solve the case.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Night of the Murder — What Happened

• Incident Recap:
  • On December 27, 2006, Ron Harnish was shot and killed near the corner of 30th and C Street in Golden Hill, San Diego.
  • Ron and two Navy friends (“Paul” and “Aaron”) were out picking up food when they noticed a man flashing gang signs. Ron asked Aaron to turn the car around, got out, and approached the man, followed by Paul. Suddenly, a second individual appeared and opened fire, killing Ron and injuring Paul.

“All three men had been in the car together before the shooting. They were all buddies who served in the Navy together.” (Ashley Flowers, 03:51)

• Physical Evidence:
  • Only six .22 caliber shell casings were found at the scene, with no usable DNA or fingerprints.
  • Witnesses saw the shooters fleeing; one hid a rifle under a jacket (09:00).

2. Investigation and Initial Suspects

• Gang Involvement – The Lomas Gang:
  • Investigators immediately suspected a gang connection, specifically the Lomas gang, which controlled the neighborhood.
  • Fresh gang graffiti and “throwing up gang signs” at the scene pointed to this involvement, despite Ron having no ties to gangs.

“And so that’s a real good indication that it’s gang activity. And we know specifically the gang that kind of controls this particular area is the Lomas gang.” (Detective Tracey Barr, 07:14)

• Suspects:

  • Witnesses described two Hispanic men, one taller (possibly Rich) and one shorter (the suspected shooter).
  • “Rich,” a known gang member with a rap sheet, was repeatedly named to police and had his tag found near the crime scene, but denied involvement when questioned (15:32).

• Complicating Factors:

  • No direct connection between Ron and the gang; possible motives included mistaken identity or a random “initiation.”

3. The First Connection – Other Shootings

• Linked Shooting:
  • Three days before Ron’s death, Samuel and John were shot at in an alley nearby by two men matching the description of Ron’s killers, using the same weapon (13:38).
  • This strengthened police theory of a gang initiation or proving oneself through violence.

“Who knows, it could have been a setup for a gang initiation.” (Detective Barr, 14:08)

4. Family’s Frustration and Grassroots Investigation

• Lack of Communication:
  Ron’s brother Gabe and mother Tracey struggled to get updates from the authorities in the chaotic hours and days after the killing.

“We’re calling everywhere. Nobody’s giving us any information. It was a few hours before we really came to the realization, the realization.” (Gabe Azulay, 08:46)

• Tracey’s Tenacity:
  • Ron’s mother, Tracey, independently tracked suspects on social media and tried to secure the Governor’s $50,000 reward to encourage tips (17:42).
  • Police hesitated, questioning Ron’s “intentions” that night—some saw his decision to approach the man as antagonistic, creating red tape for the reward (18:54).

“She just had a feeling. But she knew she wasn’t going to get anywhere on a feeling. She needed people to talk.” (Ashley Flowers, 17:54)

• Eventually, Governor Schwarzenegger approved the reward, leading to a Crime Stoppers billboard, but little new information surfaced (19:31).

5. Cold Case Developments and Forensic Advances

• Special Task Force:

  • Multi-agency (SDPD, NCIS, FBI, DEA, Border Patrol, DA) task force reexamined the case but stalled by 2012 due to lack of evidence.

• Potential Weapon:

  • Police once found Rich with a rifle near the scene a month before the murder but couldn’t link the gun directly to the shooting (21:14).

• The Main Hurdle:

  • No physical evidence, reluctant witnesses, and “bad” witness credibility (being gang members) have hindered prosecution.

• Ongoing Developments:

  • Detective Barr is applying new forensic techniques (Recover machine) capable of extracting previously undetectable fingerprints from shell casings—a ray of hope for breakthrough (26:54).

“One of the new technologies is that we can actually revisit shell casings … and we can actually extract more fingerprints … ingrained into the metal…” (Detective Barr, 26:23)

6. The Continuing Impact

• Family Remembrance:
  • Ron is remembered as a loving son and brother, with his mother recalling cherished moments and his desire to “be somebody who made a difference” (09:29).
  • Tracey’s memories, including a heartfelt Mother’s Day poem, evoke Ron’s gentle character (27:47).

“He wrote me a Mother’s Day poem … only one mother the whole world over. … he was all right, that kid. He really was.” (Tracey Wilde, 27:47)

• Hope for Future:
  • Both Detective Barr and Ron’s family hope changing circumstances might encourage reluctant witnesses to come forward.

“The hope is … maybe their lives are different now and maybe they are willing to come forward and talk or, you know, say, yeah, that wasn’t okay. And here’s what I know.” (Detective Barr, 28:05)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:51]
  “All three men had been in the car together before the shooting. They were all buddies who served in the Navy together.” — Ashley Flowers

• [07:14]
  “And so that’s a real good indication that it’s gang activity. And we know specifically the gang that kind of controls this particular area is the Lomas gang.” — Detective Tracey Barr

• [09:29]
  “He wanted to be somebody who made a difference.” — Gabe Azulay

• [17:42]
  “I just went on the computer and kept digging, digging until I found some back in the MySpace days. So then when I came across his picture, I just knew. I just knew it was him.” — Tracey Wilde

• [18:54]
  “But the police had concerns because Ron had gotten out of the car. They saw this as Ron being antagonistic. But Ron’s family saw things differently.” — Ashley Flowers

• [26:23]
  “One of the new technologies is that we can actually revisit shell casings … and extract more fingerprints … ingrained into the metal.” — Detective Tracey Barr

• [27:47]
  “He wrote me a Mother’s Day poem … only one mother the whole world over. … he was all right, that kid. He really was.” — Tracey Wilde

• [28:05]
  “The hope is, because this is years after the fact, that maybe some people who were either involved or have knowledge of what happened to Ron, that maybe their lives are different now and maybe they are willing to come forward and talk.” — Detective Tracey Barr

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• The shooting and immediate aftermath: [01:34]–[05:20]
• Gang involvement and investigation focus: [06:32]–[09:32]
• Family perspectives and struggle for information: [08:46]–[09:32]
• Connecting cases, other victims, and the gang's pattern: [13:38]–[14:32]
• Suspect “Rich,” mother’s investigation, and reward attempt: [15:32]–[19:56]
• Task force and forensic stagnation: [20:02]–[24:06]
• Current forensic hopes, family memories, call for leads: [26:23]–[28:27]

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Conclusion & Call to Action

Despite years of work by both law enforcement and Ron’s determined family, the case remains unsolved. With the advent of advanced forensic techniques and a significant reward ($57,500), there is renewed hope that someone will break their silence or new evidence will come to light.

If you have information about Ron Harnish’s 2006 murder, contact Detective Barr at 619-531-2239 or San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8846.

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The memory of Ron Harnish lives on through his family's stories and the persistent pursuit of justice encapsulated in this moving episode.

Transcript

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[D]

Our card this week is ron Harnisch, the seven of clubs from California. 22 year old Ron had survived multiple deployments in the Navy, yet died less than a mile from home on a cool San Diego night in 2006. Now, almost 19 years later, the police and Ron's own mother believe they know who's responsible. But proving it has been a challenge and the people thereafter are as violent as it gets. I'm Ashley Flowers and this is the deck. On December 27, 2006, the City of San Diego was in the middle of that post Christmas glow when a police officer making a routine traffic stop was flagged down by two men who pulled up in a car behind him. The moment must have been chaotic. I mean, there were bullet holes in the driver's side of the car and one of the men appeared to have been wounded in his arm. They told the officer that their friend had just been shot a few blocks away. He was still lying in the street and needed help. Quick radioing for more support, police and emergency crews descended near the corner of 30th and C Street where Ron Harnish was laying just off the curb with gunshot wounds in his shoulder and head.

[E]

I know medics were Called to the scene to try to help Ron, and unfortunately, they pronounced him deceased within minutes of arriving. So now it's an official homicide.

[D]

That's Detective Tracey Barr of the San Diego Police Department, who is the current investigator working this case. She explained that when homicide investigators arrived, they didn't have much to work with.

[E]

If you look at the scene, there's just minimal evidence. Really the only evidence we have are these shell casings.

[D]

There were a total of six.22 caliber casings found. Other than that, there really wasn't much evidence. But there were witnesses. We're going to call them Paul and Aaron to protect their identity. Those were Ron's two friends who had flagged down police. Paul, the one with the arm injury, had been transferred to the hospital and gave his statement there was while Aaron remained at the scene to talk to police. All three men had been in the car together before the shooting. They were all buddies who served in the Navy together.

[E]

They were heading to the store to pick up, like, some food and then go back to Ron's apartment where he lived kind of close by in the area. And as they're driving by is when they notice there's a Hispanic male standing on the corner there at sea and 30th. And he's, as they described it, thrown up gang signs.

[D]

In that moment, Ron asked Aaron, the driver, to turn around. When he did, Ron got out of the car and started walking towards the man on the corner.

[E]

According to Paul, he got out of the car when Ron did because he wasn't sure, like, you know, what was he doing, what's happening? So he just kind of wanted to be on standby in case Ron needed help. So he kind of stood back and was hanging back with their car. And then literally, as soon as Ron is approaching this guy, another Hispanic male appears from, like, the alley kind of behind them, and then immediately starts shooting at him.

[D]

Ron was hit and more rounds peppered the car. One bullet hitting Paul in the arm. According to Detective Barr, Paul indicated that he knew Ron was dead by the way he fell and hit the ground, and that's when they sped off looking for help. Ron's friends weren't able to give detailed descriptions of the men who shot Ron, just that they were young and appeared Hispanic.

[E]

They mentioned one was taller than the other one and that the shooter was most likely the shorter one of the two individuals. They did describe clothing, but the clothing, I think, is just kind of all over the place. So I'm not sure, you know, how accurate that is.

[D]

Paul and Aaron did Give investigators more details on the weapon. They described a firearm that appeared to be some type of sawed off rifle, which detectives took note of.

[E]

It's very unusual that that would be the type of weapon of choice. Typically what we see are, like, handguns that are being used. My guess is, like, when you have a rifle or shotgun, you want that distance, right? Like, you don't want to be close to your victim. So that's really the only thing I could see, why they would want a rifle over a handgun.

[D]

Unusual can often be a good thing. The more unique the weapon, the easier it might be to trace to a specific suspect or in this case, to a particular group, because investigators at the time almost immediately focused on one theory.

[E]

So from what I know, just kind of going through the case is, even that night at that specific time, as they're looking around, they see essentially, like, fresh graffiti that's, like, on the walls, on the electrical box. Like, it's just everywhere.

[D]

Pretty much, this was a busy street, and there were several buildings, apartments, and even a liquor store in the area, plus an alley, plenty of places for graffiti.

[E]

And so that's a real good indication that it's gang activity. And we know specifically the gang that kind of controls this particular area is the Lomas gang.

[D]

At the time, back in 2006, the Lomas gang had roughly 30 members. According to testimony and records from gang experts, Lomas operated in San Diego's Golden Hill area, just east of downtown, the same neighborhood that Ron was shot in. And they advertised their presence through that graffiti and in other ways. Members wore clothing and tattoos with symbols like Lomas LM or LM26, a reference to 26th Street. Lomas was involved in crimes from robbery and carjackings to assault and murder. It's because of their potential involvement in Ron's case that we're using pseudonyms for people like Paul and Aaron. Now, even though everything was pointing toward gang violence, it didn't totally add up because Ron was an active Navy sailor. He didn't have any gang connections. So was this a random shooting? Did Ron get mistaken for a rival gang member? I mean, why would Ron, of all people, end up dead? And this is the question in this case, why did Ron get out of the car? What was his plan? Ron's brother, Gabe Azulay, remembers total confusion that day. Not just about why this had happened to Ron, but also what had happened to his older brother.

[F]

We're calling the police department. They can't tell us anything. They said something. He got rushed to a hospital. I think at some point, but they wouldn't tell us which one. We're calling everywhere. Nobody's giving us any information. It was a few hours before we really came to the realization, the realization.

[D]

That his older brother, who he looked up to, had died. For Gabe and his mom, Tracey Wilde, it was shocking. Ron had just been accepted into the Navy Seals Buds program. He had joined the Navy at 19. I mean, this was post 9 11, a time when many young men were inspired to join the military. Gabe remembers that for Ron, serving in the US Navy was more than a job, it was a calling.

[F]

He wanted to be somebody who made a difference.

[D]

There is no doubt Ron was on his way to doing just that before his life was cut short. Near the corner of 30th and C Street. And at the scene, police had a difficult mystery to solve, even if they were fairly confident that two Lomas gang members were behind Ron's death. As you can imagine, a canvas of the neighborhood didn't produce much, but police were able to find a couple who caught a glimpse of suspects running from the scene. The couple described hearing shots fired, then seeing two young men through their apartment window, cutting across the parking lot of a liquor store. One of the men was concealing a rifle under his jacket, and they appeared to be laughing. While the general description of the men lined up with what Paul and Aaron had given to police, it didn't provide any new details as to who these guys were. So the next morning, December 28, the police visited the liquor store, hoping to find security footage showing these two men. But it was a dead end. The only cameras they had captured the inside of the store. The autopsy, which was also done that same morning, didn't offer much more either. It confirmed that Ron was shot twice and showed no drugs or alcohol in his system. As far as any DNA, there wasn't any. There was no indication to police that Ron had any altercation or even direct contact with any of the suspects where DNA could have been left behind. And no DNA or fingerprints were found on those shell casings left at the scene either. Although those shell casings did reveal one important lead. Just three days before Ron's shooting, another shooting had taken place. Another shooting with the same gun that killed Ron.

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[E]

It wasn't a homicide or anything. They weren't actually struck by the gunfire, but they were shot at.

[D]

Detective Barr explained that asking someone where they're from is a common gang challenge, and there's no right answer now. The description Samuel and John gave police matched the two individuals from Ron's shooting young Hispanic men, one taller, one shorter, with the shorter of the two men firing the shots. And now suddenly investigators had a possible motive.

[E]

So knowing who probably these players are and being gang affiliate, who knows, it could have been a setup for a gang initiation. Think about it. You have the shooting that goes down the alley three days later. It's like, okay, we were unsuccessful. So you know what, I'm going to stand out here, I'm going to get people's attention. I'm going to be throwing these gang signs. And then, oh, look, we got someone with the gun.

[D]

Being one of the few connections in the case, police focused hard on that. They needed to find it. While Detective Barr couldn't give us exact details, we did learn that investigators dug up at least one gang member's yard after hearing that the gun might be buried there. But that search didn't turn up anything. But in looking for the gun, they also talked to a lot of Lomas gang members. There were, after all, only around 30 of them. But as they made their way through one by one, they started hearing one name again and again.

[E]

People just kind of start dropping his name. I think it was a combination of either he said something directly to them or it's like the hearsay game, right? Like I heard from so and so, who knows so and so that this is what they heard. So there was a lot of that going on. There's a lot of, we know he's a part of this gang. We know he lives like right there, right on C Street.

[D]

We're going to call him Rich, since he's never been publicly named as a suspect. Now, he was just 20 years old at the time and a known member of the Lomas gang since at least 2003. He had an assault record and a previous arrest for receiving stolen goods. On top of Rich's name being dropped by people, his gang moniker was found spray painted on a wall near the scene of Ron's murder. According to Detective Barr, a couple of months into the investigation, police brought Rich in for questioning about Ron's shooting. Rich completely denied being involved, and he didn't know who tagged his moniker at the scene, but said it wasn't him. However, he did put himself nearby the.

[E]

Shooting in a interview that he did later on with detectives. He even kind of puts himself close to the scene, saying he was visiting, like his grandmother on C Street. Well, this happened right off C Street, so.

[D]

So it's interesting, but certainly not going to be the airtight case a prosecutor is looking for. So they had to let him go. Besides, there were other Lomas members to look into we know there was a second man involved, right. Detective Barr says that the original investigators were able to narrow down their suspect list to less than a dozen possible people. But gang cases are tricky.

[E]

I think the disadvantage would be they're tighter, they're quieter, they're going to, you know, protect each other. That's kind of the frustrating part with something like this. It's like, you know, your person is in this little group, but it's a matter of who did it.

[D]

This is pretty much where Ron's case went cold. But where investigators failed. Ron's mother was not ready to give up. Tracy had been following the investigation closely the whole time. And though police weren't sharing information with her, she was hearing things for herself. Some of the same things. Not about Rich, but about a small local gang, AKA the Lomas gang, and two young members. So with that tiny germ of information, she launched her own investigation.

[F]

I just went on the computer and kept digging, digging until I found some back in the MySpace days. So then when I came across his picture, I just knew. I just knew it was him.

[D]

Him was Rich. Draci had never seen his picture before and didn't even know police had narrowed in on him. She just had a feeling. But she knew she wasn't going to get anywhere on a feeling. She needed people to Talk. So in 2009, she applied for the Governor's Award, the $50,000 reward that is given out by California's governor for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of a person or people involved or responsible for unsolved crimes. Tracey was hoping that a little extra cash might be the thing that pushed someone to reach out to police with a new tip. But her application got rejected. And the reason why goes back to the question we all still have. Why exactly did Ron get out of the car? Ron's eligibility or ineligibility for the governor's reward came down to that question. What were his intentions the night he was shot? Basically, the way it works is that the family needed the police's recommendation to get this reward. But the police had concerns because Ron had gotten out of the car. They saw this as Ron being antagonistic. But Ron's family saw things differently. Ron's mother, Tracy, is convinced that her son would have tried to be a positive influence on someone he saw doing something wrong. But proving that Ron's intentions were good and that he hadn't started a fight was tricky. So after her application was rejected, Tracy wrote a letter pointing out Ron's service to his country, a country that he was willing to protect.

[F]

And then I was calling the governor's office once a week, every week until.

[D]

I got it in April. Then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a proclamation granting the reward. Tracy was able to watch as Crime Stoppers put up a billboard promoting the case and asking for leads in Ron's murder. And for Tracy, this was a step in the right direction. I mean, at the time, it was one of the largest rewards in Crimestoppers history. Surely this would help Ron's case.

[F]

I really thought it would make a difference, and it didn't. I really thought it would.

[D]

Tracii wasn't alone, though, when it came to pushing Ron's case forward. At one point, his case was reviewed by a special multi department cold case task force. There were investigators from the San Diego PD, along with other agencies like NCIS, FBI, DEA, Border Patrol, and even the DA's office. Supervisory Special Agent Kim Tedesco of NCIS took the lead. The task force reached out to previous investigators. They reexamined old statements and talked to witnesses, and even collaborated with gang specialists. Tracey would check in for Updates. But by 2012, there wasn't much news. The investigation had stalled yet again. This didn't deter Tracey. She was still laser focused on getting justice for her son. Specifically, she was still keeping keeping tabs on Rich. She had learned that police may have had a run in with him shortly.

[F]

Before Ron's murder, like a day before or a week before. And I'm not really sure they saw him, they pulled him over, whatever, and talked to him. And they found a rifle or a shotgun or something that he had hidden behind the dumpster.

[D]

This proved to Tracy that possibly a rifle like the one that killed her son was a preferred weapon for Rich. And Detective Barr was able to confirm that this happened. It was actually a month before Ron's murder in November. But Rich was arrested for public intoxication. And they did find a rifle hidden in the trash can nearby that they were pretty sure he'd dumped. But because the gun hadn't been in Rich's possession, they couldn't prove it was his. And with that gun confiscated, it definitely wasn't the gun that shot Ron. But for Ron's mom, it was just more smoke around Rich. And her hope was that the DA's office might see the same thing.

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[D]

In January 2013, Tracy had a call with someone from the DA's office about Ron's case and of course, Rich's possible involvement. The DA's office knew rich well. He had continued to get in trouble for things like drug possession and domestic abuse. At that point, he was even serving a 16 year sentence for a 2009 assault where he was convicted of brutally beating a man with a metal scooter in a Lomas Gang controlled park. When Traci asked the DA what they needed to prosecute someone in Ron's case, the Rep pointed to all the things investigators had struggled with. The lack of physical evidence, DNA evidence, and not having a murder weapon, along with the credibility issue. I mean, gang members don't make the best witnesses, even if they could get someone to testify. And this left Tracy frustrated. And as the years have gone by, nothing has really changed. What was true in 2013 still stands to this day. Despite Tracii wishing that the DA's office would take a gamble, that hasn't happened. Though the Lomas gang and guys like Rich do remain in focus. Detective Barr said that as of today, Rich, who was recently released from prison, is still considered a person of interest, but he's never been charged in this case. Surprisingly, he actually hasn't been interviewed by police since 2006. And while Detective Barr does believe that Rich was likely involved, unlike Ron's mom, Tracey, she's not sure he was the one who pulled the trigger. The shooter has always been identified as the shorter of the two men. Detective Barr believes that Rich probably would have been the taller one, which would actually make sense if it was a gang initiation. Why would a seasoned member like Rich need to prove himself? Detective Barr is actively going through this case now. I mean, just a few weeks before our team talked to her, she interviewed Ron's friend Paul again, and she plans to talk to Aaron again, too. And guess what else she's doing? Retesting old evidence. Those shell casings from the scene never produced fingerprints or DNA back in 2006. But today, the technology has changed, and Detective Barr might have one last trick up her sleeve.

[E]

One of the new technologies is that we can actually revisit shell casings that have been processed in the past, and we can actually extract more fingerprints that are. It's kind of hard to describe, but it's more like they're ingrained into the metal and somehow we're able to kind of extract that. So it's something new that we're starting to kind of visit. And only a couple local agencies actually have the technology, but it's open to all of us in the county to use.

[D]

Detective Barr told us that as recently as August, those shell casings were dropped off to begin this new testing process using something called a recover machine. How long this may take is a little unclear, though. Either way, for Ron's family, they are still left waiting for something, anything to happen in this case, and hopefully one day they'll find out the truth. Until then, they've been left to wonder if Ron were still here today, what his life might be like.

[F]

He would have definitely traveled, I think, and I assume he would have probably two or three kids by now and be a pretty active father.

[D]

Whoever killed Ron took away an entire future and a lifetime of new memories that he'll never get to make with his family. But one thing that no one can take away from Ron's family are the memories that they already have of him.

[F]

He wrote me a Mother's Day poem, you know, like a thousand butterflies in the sky and a thousand blades of grass, but only one mother the whole world over. You know, it was just like he was all right, that kid. He really was.

[E]

The hope is, because this is years after the fact, that maybe some people who were either involved or have knowledge of what happened to Ron, that maybe their lives are different now and maybe they are willing to come forward and talk or, you know, say, yeah, that wasn't okay. And here's what I know.

[D]

If you have any information about the murder of ron Harnish on December 27, 2006 in the Golden Hill neighborhood of San Diego, California, please contact Detective Barr directly at 619-531-2239. Or if you'd like to remain completely anonymous, you can call San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8846. And just a reminder, there is still a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of someone responsible in this case. That reward currently stands at $57,500. The deck is an audio Chuck production with theme music by Ryan Lewis. To learn more about the Deck and our advocacy work, visit thedeckpodcast.com I think Chuck would approve.

[I]

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[C]

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