A Missouri couple’s wedding night turned tragic when masked gunmen invaded their backyard reception, shooting the groom in the head in front of his bride and guests during an attempted robbery.
Manuel and Dulce Gonzalez, who had been together for over a decade and already had two small children, hosted an intimate wedding ceremony for about 50 close friends and family in their St. Louis home backyard on Friday, June 28, according to a report by Fox 2 Now on Monday, July 1.
As the celebration was winding down around 1 a.m. on Saturday, June 29, two gunmen wearing ski masks barged into the backyard, ordering guests not to move and demanding money, police told the outlet.
While one assailant searched through guests’ pockets, the other held the groom at gunpoint from behind. Suddenly and without warning, one of the gunmen shot Manuel Gonzalez in the head in front of his shocked family and friends, as reported by Fox 2 Now.
After firing the shot, both gunmen fled on foot without stealing any money or belongings from the guests.
“They took nothing, yet they took everything from us,” said the bride’s sister, Yaribeth Peña, in an interview with the outlet.
The 32-year-old groom was rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition.
Peña, who ran into the house when the gunmen entered the backyard, recalled that the entire incident unfolded in about 30 seconds before her brother-in-law was shot.
“I didn’t witness when he got shot. I heard the gunshot when I was running through the house,” she told KSDK.
Peña speculated that the armed robbers may have mistaken Manuel Gonzalez reaching for his wallet as reaching for a weapon.
“I guess they thought he was reaching for a weapon,” Peña said, adding that she believes the suspects are teenagers, describing one as shorter than the other.
Ring Doorbell footage from the couple’s home, obtained by KSDK, captured the suspects approaching the house before the attempted robbery and fleeing down the street after the shooting.
As of the latest update, no arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
Manuel Gonzalez’s father-in-law mentioned on Monday, July 1, that his son-in-law had shown some hand movements since being hospitalized but remains in critical condition.
Peña expressed her sister’s devastation over the incident, describing her as “distraught” and “heartbroken.” She emphasized that Manuel Gonzalez is a devoted father and hard-working family man who treats her sister with respect.
“He’s just an all-around good person that, I don’t know, he didn’t deserve this,” Peña told Fox 2 Now about her brother-in-law.
Living next door to her sister and brother-in-law, Peña now fears for her family’s safety with the armed perpetrators still at large.
The family is appealing to anyone with information or Ring doorbell footage that may assist in identifying the suspects to come forward.
