On a cold February evening in 1990, the life of a promising Hispanic teenager, Luis Gonzalez, was tragically cut short. The 16-year-old male was working at the Vega Alta grocery store, a business owned by his parents on State Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A junior at Bassick High School, Gonzalez was known as a star athlete on the school's baseball team and a good kid who had never had any trouble with the police.
Around 6:30 p.m.
on February 10th, a group of men entered the grocery store. One of the men, who was wearing a ski mask, lured Gonzalez outside of the store under the pretense of wanting to talk to him. Once outside, Gonzalez was shot multiple times. Despite his critical injuries, he managed to make his way back into the store, climb over the counter, and dial 911 for help. His mother, who had heard the gunshots, rushed to his side and drove him to Park City Hospital. Sadly, Luis Gonzalez succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital shortly after arriving.
The assailants were described as a group of Hispanic and Black males. Witnesses specifically described the shooter as a Black male who was wearing a red shirt and a red hat. The other individuals in the group wore ski masks to conceal their identities. In the more than three decades that have passed since the shooting, the murder of Luis Gonzalez remains unsolved. The Bridgeport Police Department continues to investigate the case, holding out hope that new information will lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the young man's death.
