Francisco Cruz, 32, was found dead in a Vista parking lot on South Santa Fe Avenue shortly after 9:30 p.m. on March 26, 2020. A security guard discovered his body; an autopsy determined Cruz died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators identified 40-year-old parolee Calvin Lamar Ackles as the prime suspect. Cruz had visited an illegal cannabis dispensary to look for wax. Ackles, who was working as the dispensary’s security guard and living there, confronted Cruz in the parking lot after staff told him no wax was available. Surveillance footage shows Cruz return to his car and begin removing a steering wheel lock from the trunk; Ackles then opened fire with a .357-caliber handgun. Cruz was struck nine times, eight bullets in the back, and some shots were fired after he was on the ground. Ackles fled but was arrested in San Diego a few days later and charged with murder and a parole violation.

Does anyone have information about Cruz’s last movements that night or saw the parking lot encounter?