The newlywed husband is fighting a life-threatening illness in the hospital. Two masked gunmen They stormed into his wedding reception and shot him in the head.
Last Friday, Manuel and Dulce Gonzalez became husband and wife. They have been together for 10 years and have two children.
“They said my brother-in-law was trying to steal his wallet, but they probably thought he was trying to steal a weapon.”
So that night, 50 of their closest family and friends gathered in the couple’s backyard in the Dutchtown neighborhood, located along the Mississippi River just a few miles south of downtown St. Louis. The group had such a good time that the party continued late into the night.
Unbeknownst to the host and guests, two masked suspects had apparently been scouting the area, and Ring camera footage showed the men passing by the house on bicycles. Saturday after midnight Manuel Gonzalez, 32, was escorting some of the guests to their cars.
About an hour later, the suspects forced their way into the couple’s backyard. They were armed and demanded that everyone there stay still. One of the suspects then began rummaging through people’s pockets and belongings while the other held a gun to Manuel’s head.
Suddenly, a gunman shot Manuel in the head and the pair fled the scene without stealing anything. “They didn’t steal anything, but they took everything from us,” he said. Yalibeth Peñathe bride’s sister and a neighbor of the couple.
Manuel was taken to hospital where he remains in critical condition, but his father-in-law said he has started to move his hands a little, which gives the family hope.
“He’s fighting for his life and we hope he survives,” Peña said.
Peña described her brother-in-law as a hardworking man who loved Dulce and his children. “He’s such a good person and I don’t know why this happened to him,” she said.
She also offered a possible explanation for the horrific shooting: “They said my brother-in-law was going for his wallet, but maybe they thought he was going for a weapon.”
a GoFundMe account The fund was set up to cover “medical expenses” and the family’s lost income. For now, Dulce Gonzalez is “distraught,” “depressed” and “heartbroken,” Peña said.
Police have not yet identified the suspects, but Peña believes both men are teenagers, one of whom is shorter than the other, she said.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. information Alternatively, if you would like to view additional surveillance footage of the suspect, please call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
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