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Young Parents Killed By Gang Of Men After Being Dragged From Vehicle Following Traffic Incident
Footage shows a group of men pulling Yasmin Perez out of the driver’s seat before gunfire erupts. As the incident unfolded, Gyovanny Arzuaga attempted to protect her from the attackers.
A Chicago couple was killed last week after they were dragged out of their car and shot to death after a traffic incident.
Gyovanny Arzuaga, 24, and Yasmin Perez, 23, the mother of their two children, were dragged from their vehicle by four men shortly after the Saturday night's Puerto Rican Day Parade, Chicago’s WGN9 reports. The couple was attacked following a minor collision; the entire incident was captured on video.
The footage shows a group of men pulling the young mother out of the driver’s seat before gunfire erupts. As the incident unfolded, Arzuaga attempted to protect her from the attackers.
“They are seen hitting and impeding the woman, who is the driver of the vehicle, and then eventually dragging her out,” CPD Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said. “What the video doesn’t show is there a shot discharged and that appears when the female gets struck. And then the male comes out and he’s almost on top of her and then you see that second suspect clearly holding a gun and shooting him in the head — almost execution-style.”
Perez, who was shot in the neck, died on Tuesday morning. Arzuaga died in the attack. He’s now being remembered for attempting to protect his partner.
“The man who was killed literally used his body as a shield and he paid for that with his life,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
Police are now searching for the assailants. No arrests have been made. However, Lightfoot told reporters on Monday that police have “promising leads” and have identified the suspected shooter, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“There’s one person who dealt the fatal shot," Lightfoot said. "But there were others who were standing by who dragged that poor woman out of the car."
Jae Pacheco told the Sun-Times that for the couple, it was love at first sight.
"They first met each other at a party, and it was over with from there,” Pacheco said. “They fell in love with each other, and they spent years together. They made a family together.”
Pacheco, a friend of the couple, characterized Perez as "a great mom” of their two children, Sofiya and Jayden, who has recently turned 1 year old.
“She was amazing. It may look hard for a lot of people, but Yasmin was such a great mom,” Pacheco said. “She loved her kids so much. You could tell they were so loved, and they were so happy.”
Anyone with information on this case can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.
“You need to turn yourself in," Lightfoot said, addressing those involved. "Because we are going to spare no resource whatsoever to find them and you and bring you to justice, and make sure that these people who created such brazen chaos and harm are held in custody until they see their day in court."
