Latino male, 20-year-old Raul F. Cruz Aguilar died on February 12, 2020, after gunfire erupted inside a car in Chicago's Gage Park neighborhood.
Close to 10:20 p.m., three people were in a vehicle on the 5300 block of South Albany Avenue when a back-seat passenger opened fire.
Amid the chaos, Raul F. Cruz Aguilar was shot in the chest and rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead; the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. He lived in Gage Park.
The gunfire wounded a 27-year-old man riding in the front seat; despite being shot in the torso, he fled on foot and was driven by a friend to Holy Cross Hospital before being transferred to Mount Sinai, where he was listed in good condition.
Police sources at the time said the incident appeared drug-related, a detail that framed detectives' early understanding of the shooting as they pieced together the exchange of shots inside the car.
Authorities did not announce any arrests that night and said no one was in custody as Area Central detectives opened the investigation.
Subsequent coverage that day and the next reiterated those details without naming a suspect.
Public records and memorial listings identify the victim by his full name and age as Raul F. Cruz Aguilar, 20.
Funeral and memorial notices place his death in Chicago on February 12, 2020, and community trackers record his case in the city's 2020 homicide toll.
