On December 17, 2020, at approximately 12:50 p.m., 19-year-old Carlos Cruz was walking his dog in the 4000 block of West Wilson Avenue in Chicago's Mayfair neighborhood when he was fatally shot. An assailant in a stolen white Nissan Maxima fired multiple shots, striking Cruz several times. He was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Carlos Cruz resided in the neighborhood where the incident occurred.
Following the shooting, the stolen Nissan was located several blocks away in the 4400 block of North LaCrosse Avenue. Authorities apprehended a person of interest in the 4300 block of North Major Avenue. On March 2, 2021, police arrested 19-year-old Julio Rubio-Gonzalez from Portage Park in connection with the shooting. He was charged with a felony count of first-degree murder. Rubio-Gonzalez was taken into custody in the 5500 block of West Grand Avenue after being identified as a suspect involved in the incident.
The arrest of Julio Rubio-Gonzalez provided some resolution to the tragic death of Carlos Cruz. The case underscores the ongoing challenges of gun violence in Chicago and the efforts of law enforcement to address such incidents.
