Yasmin Nicole Perez Has Succumbed To Her Injuries, Gyovanny Arzuaga Died Shortly After Getting Shot In The Head During Impromptu Puerto Rican Flag Cruising In Chicago

Perez died Tuesday morning from her injury after a group of men attacked her and Arzuaga during an impromptu Puerto Rican flag cruising near Humboldt Park in Chicago.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

June 22, 2021

Chicago, Illinois - On Tuesday, Yasmin Nicole Perez, 25, succumbed to her injury when she was shot in the neck on Saturday near Humboldt Park in Chicago. 

On Saturday, Chicago police responded to a shot spotter around 9:15p.m. at the 3200 block of W. Division Street where a couple were reported shot. On arrival, police discovered both Gyovanny Arzuaga, 24, and Perez suffering from gunshot wounds. They were shot by a group of men.

Arzuaga was transported to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased. Perez who was shot in the neck was transported to Stroger Hospital where she died on Tuesday morning from her injury, according to police.

They are survived by two children, Sofiya, 5, and Jayden, 1.

A City street surveillance video camera recorded footage where both Arzuaga and Perez were attacked and a man fired multiple shots at the couple as Arzuaga protects Perez with his own body.

Arzuaga and Perez were cruising with flags along W. Division St. during an impromptu parading and cruising with Puerto Rican flags on Saturday during what is recognized as a local Puerto Rican festivity weekend in June. The Puerto Rican Parade had ended at 4:00 p.m., which the couple and many attendees of the annual parade continued to cruise around the Humboldt Park neighborhood in what turned out to be an impromptu Puerto Rican flag cruising parading.

On Monday, during a press conference Chicago police confirmed that Perez was driving the vehicle when a minor accident occurred, then a group of suspects swarmed Perez's vehicle and are seen dragging her out of the vehicle, beating her and a suspect fired a shot striking her in the neck. Then, Arzuaga comes out of the vehicle and places himself on top of her attempting to protect her with his body when a second suspect fired multiple shots execution style striking Arzuaga in the head.

Both Perez and Arzuaga were among 65 victims reported shot in Chicago over the weekend, a 27% decrease from 2020 (85). 10 of those victims including Arzuaga were reported killed over the Father's Day weekend, which on Tuesday, Perez's name was added to the stats of those killed as result of the weekend shootings compared to 17 in 2020, according to police. 

Suspects are being sought and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot vowed that those involved in Arzuaga's cold blooded murder will be brought to justice. Tips to police have apparently identified the main suspect that shot Arzuaga and is being sought by police. Police are also attempting to identify the other suspects that dragged Perez from the vehicle she was driving at the time.