Anthony Williams, a 19-year-old Black male, was spending time with a group of relatives and friends at a home on Sioux City's west side during the early hours of October 29, 2022. The gathering at 1421 West Fifth Street included music, drinking and several firearms. Williams was there with his brother, Angel Williams, his cousin Joseph Nathan Cruz, and 21-year-old Carlos Ray Aguirre, along with several other young adults.
Earlier in the evening, five men in the group had posed for a photograph while each held a gun, reflecting how commonly firearms were being handled inside the residence.
The evening remained relatively peaceful until an argument erupted between Cruz and Aguirre in the kitchen. Witnesses later gave differing descriptions of exactly how the confrontation began, but they generally agreed that the dispute involved firearms and that Cruz became angry or upset. Aguirre reportedly possessed a Shadow Systems pistol that Cruz wanted. The argument escalated into pushing, punching and a struggle over the weapon. Although some witnesses said Aguirre briefly held the pistol, they indicated that he pointed it toward the floor rather than directly at anyone.
During the struggle, the pistol ended up in Cruz's hands. Several shots were fired in rapid succession, striking both Aguirre and Williams. When officers responded at approximately 2:15 a.m., they found the two victims on the kitchen floor. Aguirre had suffered gunshot wounds to his head and chest and was pronounced dead at the residence. Williams was still showing signs of life, described by officers as gasping or exhibiting agonal breathing. Emergency personnel transported him to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterward. An autopsy determined that he had died from a gunshot wound to the chest, and his death was classified as a homicide.
The atmosphere inside the home became chaotic after the gunfire. Witnesses were crying, frightened and attempting to flee. Some later described Cruz as appearing stunned or emotionally detached as he stood in the residence before leaving. Rather than remaining to summon help or explain what had happened, Cruz departed with his girlfriend. Investigators alleged that he handed her the Shadow Systems pistol and asked her to place it in a bag beneath a seat in his Kia Soul.
Cruz soon arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound to his upper thigh. Police located him there and later searched his vehicle, which was parked outside his mother's home. Officers found four firearms and ammunition inside the Kia, including the Shadow Systems pistol linked through forensic testing to the cartridge casings recovered at the shooting scene. Investigators also found bloody clothing and ammunition matching the caliber and brand of the casings. Testing by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation established that the casings at the residence had been fired from the recovered pistol.
During questioning, Cruz initially denied involvement in the shooting. He later acknowledged that a fight had occurred over Aguirre's firearm but claimed that the gun might have discharged while several people were trying to disarm Aguirre. He maintained at first that he had not intentionally shot anyone. As the interview continued, his account changed. Cruz eventually claimed that he had acted in self-defense after believing he had been shot, and he admitted taking the pistol and shooting Aguirre, though he said his intention was to frighten rather than kill him. Cruz largely denied shooting Williams but conceded that he could have struck his cousin accidentally.
Authorities arrested Cruz and charged him with two counts of second-degree murder, one for each death. He was also initially charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon causing serious injury and willful injury causing serious injury. His bond was set at $300,000, and he remained in the Woodbury County Jail while the case moved through the courts.
At trial, prosecutors presented testimony from numerous people who had been at the gathering, along with forensic evidence connecting the pistol to the shooting. Williams's brother testified for the defense and said that he and Cruz had struggled with Aguirre over the weapon before it fell to the floor and Cruz picked it up. He said he did not see who fired the shot that struck Williams. Other testimony suggested that Cruz blamed Aguirre for his cousin's shooting before firing additional rounds at Aguirre.
In December 2023, a Woodbury County jury reached different verdicts for the two deaths. Cruz was convicted of second-degree murder for killing Aguirre but was acquitted of the murder charge relating specifically to Williams. The acquittal meant that no one was criminally convicted for Williams's death, despite the medical examiner's homicide ruling and evidence that the fatal bullets were fired during the confrontation involving Cruz.
Cruz received a 50-year prison sentence for Aguirre's murder and was ordered to serve at least 35 years before becoming eligible for parole. He appealed the conviction, challenging the evidence, the search that uncovered the murder weapon and several trial rulings. In March 2025, the Iowa Court of Appeals upheld the conviction and sentence. The appellate decision again noted that the jury had acquitted him of murdering Williams, leaving the legal outcome of Williams's death unresolved by a conviction even though the shooting itself was extensively investigated and Cruz was identified as the person who gained control of the gun and fired multiple rounds.
