Luis Dela Cruz was 20 when he was shot and killed in Inwood, Manhattan, on the evening of November 14, 2019. He was walking with his twin brother and friends near Thayer Street and Sherman Avenue around 9 p.m. when an assailant approached from behind and opened fire. Dela Cruz was struck in the legs; a bullet severed a major artery and he died after being taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Family and friends described him as protective and loving, a lifeguard who was pursuing a career in music and had no gang ties or criminal record. The neighborhood had known issues with the illegal drug trade. The NYPD arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rodriguez, who lived a block from the scene, on November 20, 2019; he was charged with murder and with weapons and drug possession after officers allegedly found marijuana and other narcotics on him. Investigators had not confirmed a motive, leaving open whether Dela Cruz was the intended target or a case of mistaken identity.