On November 9, 2022, 19-year-old Willians Anderson Alberto Cruz was killed in Silver Spring, Maryland. Montgomery County Police responded just before 4 a.m. to reports of gunfire in the 100 block of Colony Road in Piney Branch. Officers found three adult males with gunshot wounds; two were taken to hospitals in serious but stable condition. A search of a wooded area behind the residences located Cruz with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene after life-saving efforts by police and Fire Rescue personnel. A fourth man with the group was uninjured.

Detectives say the shooting was linked to gang retribution carried out by MS-13 members in retaliation for defaced gang graffiti near the parking lot where the group had been gathered. Cruz and his friends were reportedly listening to music by a vehicle and were mistakenly targeted; the victims and suspects had no prior personal connection. Arrests were made in the weeks after the killing. If anyone knew Willians Cruz or has information about that night in Piney Branch, please share what you know.