In the early hours of a Saturday morning in New Orleans, a tragic story unfolded that cut short the lives of two young people. Angel Funez, a 25-year-old male, was in the vibrant Mid-City neighborhood with a companion, 25-year-old Niukura Gonzales. The pair was inside a truck parked on Ulloa Street when their night took a devastating turn.
Just after midnight on February 8, 2020, a man cloaked in a hooded sweatshirt and riding a woman's cruiser-style bicycle approached their vehicle.
The assailant, who had apparently been watching and following them, ordered Funez and Gonzales out of the truck. A brief struggle ensued, a fleeting moment of resistance against an unprovoked attack. The encounter ended in gunfire. Funez was shot in the chest, and Gonzales sustained a gunshot wound to her abdomen. First responders arrived at the 600 block of South Pierce Street to find a grim scene. Angel Funez was pronounced dead at the location. Niukura Gonzales was rushed to a nearby hospital, but she later succumbed to her injuries.
The New Orleans Police Department quickly launched a homicide investigation into the double murder. Their efforts led them to a suspect, a 17-year-old named Eric Cloud. He was subsequently arrested and faced serious charges for his alleged role in the deaths of the two 25-year-olds. Cloud was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery, marking a significant development in a case that had brought sorrow to the community.
