A Gwinnett County teenager who was critically injured in a drive-by shooting Tuesday evening has died, police said Friday.
Angel Cruz, the 18-year-old son of a Gwinnett pastor deported after fighting with Lilburn police in 2018, was rushed to the hospital after being shot in the head while inside a home in the 3100 block of Dunlin Way, authorities said.
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Investigators believe Cruz was targeted in the shooting, which may have been gang-related. As of Friday, no arrests had been made.
Officers were called to the neighborhood off Lawrenceville Highway shortly after 9 p.m. They worked through the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene.
Cruz is the son of Wilmer Cruz Sr. and his wife Cristina Cruz. Both of them, along with their oldest son, Wilmer Cruz Jr., were convicted of aggravated assault on a police officer after a high-profile brawl in March 2018 that was captured on video.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The three got into a fight with Lilburn police over a teenage girl who had been reported missing, AJC.com previously reported.
MORE: Gwinnett minister, wife, sons brawl with police during missing child rescue
The officers went to the parking lot of the Iglesia Cristiana Evangelica church, where Cruz Sr. was the minister, in search of the missing girl. The girl, who was dating one of the minister’s sons, was found in a car parked at the church.
Things quickly took a violent turn when officers attempted to remove the girl from the car. The Cruz family began to fight the officers, leading to an officer attempting to use his Taser on Cruz Sr.
As this happened, Cristina Cruz grabbed the Taser and pointed it at the officer. She dropped it after the officer drew his gun and told her to let it go. One officer had his head slammed against a church door and was choked by Cruz Sr.
RELATED: Gwinnett minister, son plead guilty in brawl with police
Cruz Sr. and Cruz Jr. both pleaded guilty in July, with Cruz Sr. being deported. His son was given first-offender status, receiving seven years of probation.
Cristina Cruz was convicted of four charges in September and sentenced to five years in prison.
Anyone with information about the drive-by shooting is asked to contact Gwinnett police detectives at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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