Gyovanny Arzuaga and Yasmin Perez were shot in a graphic video in Chicago after celebrating a Puerto Rican Day parade with a Puerto Rican flag on their car.
Arzuaga died immediately; Yasmin Perez survived for some time, but she has also now died, according to CBS Chicago.
According to Chicago police, the husband and girlfriend (parents of two children) were celebrating the parade on Saturday, June 19, 2021, when gunmen ambushed and shot them. Arzuaga, 24, was from Chicago. Perez is 25 years old.
Police said three unknown suspects opened fire on the pair in Humboldt Park around 9:15 p.m. The motive is not yet clear.
However, a minor traffic incident preceded it. “There was a very minor traffic accident, and a group of people swarmed that specific car,” said Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan, according to Fox 32. “A group of people swarmed that specific car, they are seen hitting and beating that woman. You see the suspect shooting him in the head almost execution style.”
Gyovanny Arzuaga, 24, and Yasmin Perez, 25, were attacked by up to three unidentified men who opened fire on them in Humboldt Park on the city’s Northwest Side around 9:15 p.m., Chicago police said.
You can watch the video below, but be aware that it’s very disturbing. A GoFundMe page to help the family has raised more than $11,000.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Video Shows a Shooting at Close Range
Chicago.
The graphic video shows a shooting at close range as people fight near a car that is festooned with a Puerto Rican flag.
According to Fox News, Arzuaga was shot in the head and Perez was shot in the neck, but her condition is not clear.
“It wasn’t just one person there were others standing by who dragged that poor woman out of a car,” Mayor Lightfoot said, according to WGN-TV. “The man who was killed literally used his body as a shield and he paid for that with his life.”
“On June 19th, 2021, Gyovanny Arzuaga and Yasmin Perez were celebrating at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Humboldt Park when they were both tragically shot,” the GoFundMe page says.
“Gyo unfortunately passed away after arriving to the hospital and Yasmin is in critical condition after sustaining a gunshot wound to the neck. Please keep them, their children, and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this time. This fundraiser is to cover funeral service costs for Gyo’s family and medical bills for Yasmin’s family.”
The police superintendent was at the parade. “Yesterday, on the Paseo Boricua in the Humboldt Park community of the 14th District, Superintendent David O. Brown joined members of the community for the Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade to celebrate both Puerto Rican culture and community,” Chicago Police Department wrote on Facebook.
Arzuaga’s Brother Told the Media ‘My Heart Is Destroyed’
“My heart is destroyed, that was my best friend, my brother,” said Arzuaga’s brother in a phone interview with FOX 32 News.
“He was just there to have a good time and go back home,” said his friend, Jae Pacheco, to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“He was such an amazing friend. He was really caring,” Pacheco said. “He was just about being around good vibes, being around good people.”
One man who commented on the GoFundMe page, “It’s sad that a tragic crime like this doesn’t fit the narrative of the main stream media and doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. God bless your family and may those who committed this crime be brought to justice.”
People Offered Tributes to Arzuaga on Facebook, Where He Had Shared Graphics About Death
People filled Arzuaga’s Facebook page with tributes; he had filled his page with pictures with his children. On June 17, he wrote of Perez, “My birthday gift from my girl. she’s so amazing for buying me all these gifts ❤️🥰”
Arzuaga shared a photo of a headline about Texas passing a permitless gun carry law and wrote, “I’m moving to Texas.” On June 16, he wrote, “N****s gone try your girl regardless even people that know you 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️ IT’S UP TO HER TO REMAIN SOLID 💯.”
On June 18, Yasmin wrote, “I got eyes for one person and one person ONLY 🖤🤞🏼 Can’t NOBODY change that 💯”
On June 3, he shared a graphic from someone else on Facebook, which said, “If I pass away unexpectedly remind my kids Everytime you see them how much I love them, and how I would do anything in this world for them. This is all I want.”
“Rest up Bro, didn’t know you at all but no human deserves to go like that.. Prayers to your wife so she can go home to your kids,” wrote one person.
His Facebook page says under his name, “Psalm 23:4.” That’s, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
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