Family, friends plead for public’s help in finding 3 who killed young parents in Humboldt Park

Minerva Arzuaga is comforted during a prayer Thursday at a memorial for her son Gyovanni Arzuaga and Yasmin Perez, who were gunned down in Humboldt Park. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Gyovanni Arzuaga, 24, and Yasmin Perez, 25, were gunned down Saturday night after a a minor crash in the 3200 block of West Division Street.

Family and friends of a couple killed in Humboldt Park pleaded Thursday for anyone with information that could help police to come forward.

“For the cowards that did this, I want you to take a look at Gyo’s mom,” Evelyn Nazario-Rose said, standing near a makeshift memorial for Gyovanni Arzuaga, 24, and Yasmin Perez, 25.

“As she is paining, I am paining. How many shootings does it take for the violence to stop? How many moms have to bury their kids?”

Arzuaga and Perez, the parents of two young children, were gunned down Saturday night by three people who ambushed their car during Puerto Rican Day celebrations

Arzuaga’s mother, Minerva Arzuaga, her eyes swollen from crying, tried to speak to those gathered at 3300 W. Diversey Ave. but could not get any words out.

Marisol Cruz, a close friend of Perez’s family, said Arzuaga and Perez’s son turns 1 on Friday. Instead of celebrating, the family will be planning for his parents’ funeral.

Cruz pleaded for the public to hand over video to the police, saying any piece of evidence could be key in solving the case. Elizabeth Ramirez, co-founder of Parent for Peace and Justice, offered a $1000 reward for information.

“We are from this neighborhood, and we understand that when you say things you can be labeled as a rat. This is not that case,” said Perez’s godfather, Jason Rodriguez.

Rodriguez also pleaded for people to stop sharing videos of the shooting on social.

“These videos now live rent-free in our head forever,” Rodriguez said. “You have now made it possible for these orphaned children to see the video of how their parents died 20 years from now.”

Seven people were killed and 45 others were wounded in shootings throughout Chicago last weekend.

Angee Gonzalez Rodriguez, 26^th Ward Democratic committeeperson, called on elected officials to address the issues that lead to this violence and fund programs to work with at-risk youth.

“This a crisis,” Gonzalez Rodriguez said. “We are tired of listening to the numbers of lives lost week after week.”

The 26^th Ward Democratic Organization will host an anti-gun march Saturday in memory of Arzuaga and Perez.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Balloons and posters are taped up on a post and fence at the memorial site for Yasmin Perez and Gyovanni Arzuaga.

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