ST. LOUIS – A night of celebration in Dutchtown quickly turned to tragedy as gunmen tore apart a decade-long relationship between a newly married couple.
The union of Manuel and Dulce Gonzalez started out as beautiful, happy, and full of love. So much so that the intimate party in the 3800 block of Neosho Street lasted well into the night for the tight-knit family.
Just before 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, two masked gunmen entered the party from the bride and her sister’s shared driveway fence. It happened within 30 seconds: the suspects yelled for no one to move, demanded money from the backyard party guests, then brandished guns and shot the groom in the head several times.
Both suspects ran away on foot without taking any of the family’s items or money.
“They took nothing, yet they took everything from us,” Yaribeth Pena, the bride’s sister, said.
The 32-year-old groom was rushed to the hospital, where he’s listed in critical condition.
“He’s a good father. A good husband to my sister. He’s a hard worker,” Pena said. “He’s just an all-around good person that, I don’t know, he didn’t deserve this.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the family said police detectives had not yet collected all of the evidence left at the scene and hadn’t interviewed all of the witnesses.
The family is pleading with anyone in the community who might have footage of the gunmen roaming to turn it into authorities.
Police said the investigation is still ongoing and are encouraging anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
The family is also incredibly overwhelmed by the compassion, support, and outreach they’ve received from the community so quickly and is thankful for the outpour of love during this time. A family friend has created a GoFundMe to raise money for the bride’s family.
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