Roberto Carillo-Gonzales, a 46-year-old Hispanic/Latino male, was fatally shot late on the night of December 20, 2016, outside a residence in central Phoenix, Arizona, in the area of 19th Avenue and Thomas Road. Emergency crews from the Phoenix Fire Department were called shortly before 11 p.m. and arrived to find him mortally wounded at the scene. He was pronounced dead outside what was described as a small apartment or quadplex-style home, part of a cluster of units along that busy corridor.
According to police and media reports, the shooting followed a planned meeting between two parties at that location. Investigators said they believe the people involved had agreed ahead of time to meet there, but an argument broke out once they arrived. During that confrontation, gunfire erupted and the dispute escalated into a barrage of shots. Witnesses later told officers they heard between 20 and 30 gunshots in rapid succession, underscoring how intense and chaotic the exchange became in just a matter of moments.
In the immediate aftermath, witnesses reported seeing a white truck speeding away from the scene. Police later located that vehicle at a nearby hospital, where a second gunshot victim connected to the incident was being treated for injuries that authorities said were not expected to be fatal. Back at the original scene, patrol officers and detectives secured the area around the apartment complex, collected shell casings, and began canvassing for additional witnesses who might have seen the truck arrive, the argument unfold, or the shooting itself.
Despite the volume of gunfire and the presence of multiple people at the arranged meeting, publicly available records do not show that Phoenix police have identified or arrested a suspect in connection with Carillo-Gonzales’s killing. Contemporary reports described the investigation as ongoing, and later case summaries list his death as an unresolved homicide, emphasizing that authorities are still seeking information from the public. His name appears in online cold-case and unsolved-homicide listings associated with Phoenix, indicating that, years later, the shooting remains officially open without any announced charges.
Carillo-Gonzales is memorialized on a national gun-violence victim website, where his photo and name are preserved alongside thousands of others lost to shootings across the United States. On that page, friends and relatives have lit hundreds of virtual candles and left messages remembering him by the nickname “OG Rob Luv,” describing him as outgoing, respectful, and big-hearted, someone who helped others and is deeply missed. Those tributes sit in stark contrast to the stark language of police and case registries, highlighting that behind the still-unsolved homicide file is a person whose death left a lasting void in the lives of the people who knew and loved him.
