A 33-year-aged man died early Sunday morning after a shooting outside the Savoy nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Jean Gabriel Borja Gil De La Madr, 37, has been charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in connection with the death of Julien Emmanuel Cruz, according to the Orlando Police Department.
The shooting occurred at approximately 2:31 a.m. In the 1900 block of North Orange Avenue, north of Lake Ivanhoe. Police found Cruz with a gunshot wound and he was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
According to Cruz’s father, Anthony Cruz, his son was gay and was at the Savoy with his partner when the incident occurred. “My son’s supposed to be burying me, I’m not supposed to be burying my son,” Anthony Cruz told WESH 2. He described being “numb” and “crying all day” over the loss.
Investigators determined that an altercation took place on the sidewalk before the shooting. The initial investigation indicated that Borja Gil De La Madr retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and shot Cruz. The suspect’s vehicle was later located by patrol units in the 200 block of East New Hampshire Avenue.
However, Cruz’s father and partner have stated that another individual was responsible for pulling the trigger. This claim is currently under investigation by the Orlando Police Department.
The circumstances leading to the altercation remain unclear. According to Anthony Cruz, his son and his partner were leaving the Savoy after closing when a car sped by. Cruz’s partner reportedly yelled at the occupants of the vehicle, prompting them to stop. A fight then broke out between Cruz’s partner and one of the individuals from the car. “When they fought, my son saw that was happening, my son went to intervene and when he intervened, another guy got out of the car, and he got shot,” Anthony Cruz said. “My son didn’t deserve what happened.”
Defense attorney Mark O’Mara, representing Borja Gil De La Madr, has raised the possibility of self-defense, citing Florida’s self-defense laws. O’Mara stated that Florida law allows individuals to protect themselves from a threat of deadly force. He indicated that it is still unclear what caused his client to stop his vehicle or how the initial altercation escalated. O’Mara similarly suggested that someone may have forcibly opened the vehicle’s door before the shooting, which, under Florida law, could justify the apply of deadly force.
Borja Gil De La Madr remains in custody on the second-degree murder charge. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet confirmed details regarding the events leading up to the shooting or the potential involvement of other individuals.
A tiny memorial has formed across from the Savoy nightclub in the days following the shooting.
