In the late evening of July 23, 2023, the life of 18-year-old Andres David Buitrago Castillo of Norcross, Georgia, was tragically cut short. Responding to a call of a person shot at approximately 10:45 p.m., Gwinnett County police officers arrived at the Elliot Norcross apartment complex on Graves Road to a grim scene. They discovered the young man in the parking lot, next to the driver's side of a vehicle, with a single gunshot wound to the head. A handgun was found near his waist. Despite the arrival of emergency services, Buitrago Castillo was pronounced dead at the scene. The sudden and violent nature of his death was a shock to his family, with his mother arriving at the chaotic scene in a state of distress.
The initial investigation into the shooting painted a picture of a swift and startling event. A woman reported hearing two gunshots and then witnessing a group of masked individuals fleeing the area. A security guard at the complex also saw a group of four to six young men running away and gave chase, following them to a neighboring apartment community. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear to investigators as they began to piece together the events of that night.
Within a couple of weeks, the Gwinnett County Police Department announced a significant breakthrough in the case. On August 4, 2023, authorities confirmed the arrests of two teenagers from Norcross in connection with the fatal shooting. The suspects were identified as 16-year-old Salvador Ruiz-Gonzalez and 15-year-old Andy Antonio-Herrera. Officials announced that both teenagers would be tried as adults for their alleged roles in the death of Andres Buitrago Castillo.
The two young suspects face a battery of serious charges. Salvador Ruiz-Gonzalez was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Andy Antonio-Herrera faces charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Following their arrests, both were held in a regional youth detention center.
