On the eve of Father’s Day, a young dad named Gyovanni Arzuaga was allegedly executed in the middle of a Chicago city street. He was 24 years old.
According to CBS 2 Chicago, the crime was live-streamed on Facebook by an unidentified individual. The live stream depicts Arzuaga and his girlfriend, Yasmin Perez, being forcibly removed from their vehicle by a group of individuals, during a celebration for Puerto Rican People’s Day. Arzuaga and Perez had two children together.
In the video, the group of individuals appears to pull Arzuaga and Perez out of their car, before scattering. As Arzuaga and Perez lay on the concrete, a man appears to approach them “and [shoot] them at point blank range.”
The shooting reportedly occurred at around 9:00 p.m. Saturday in Humboldt Park. Both victims were taken to the hospital, at which point Arzuaga was pronounced dead.
Perez suffered from a shot to the neck and arrived at the hospital in critical condition.
The Daily Caller reports, “A police spokeswoman could not confirm whether the [live-streamed] video … which has been circulated across social media, shows the shooting.” And details concerning the violent exchange remain to be uncovered.
When reflecting on Arzuaga’s sudden demise, his friend, Jae Pacheco, noted Arzuaga’s sweet personality: “He was just there to have a good time and go back home. He was such an amazing friend. He was really caring.” Pacheco continued: “He was just about being around good vibes, being around good people.”
On Sunday, a memorial in Arzuaga’s honor was organized at the site of the shooting, with balloons, flowers, and signs saying “Happy Father’s Day” and “RIP Gy0.” A GoFundMe for Arzuaga and Perez has already surpassed its initial goal of reaching $10,000. The raised funds will go toward Arzuaga’s funeral and Perez’s medical bills.
Arzuaga’s death continues to garner media attention and outrage, but the tragedy is sadly one of many. At least 49 individuals were shot in Chicago over the weekend. At least five of these shootings were fatal. As of June 14, 1,587 people have been shot in Chicago this year already. The Chicago Tribune notes that this is “195 more than 2020.”
As Chicagoans suffer from increasingly violent crime, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently declared racism to be a public health crisis. She is focusing her time and energy on improving “anti-racist policies.”
No one is in custody yet for the shootings of Arzuaga and Perez.
Source: The Federalist
