Carlos Ray Aguirre was a 21-year-old Hispanic/Latino man who was killed in the early hours of October 29, 2022, during a gathering at a west-side Sioux City home in the 1400 block of West Fifth Street. He had been spending the night with friends and acquaintances; the gathering included music, alcohol and several firearms. Tension developed between Aguirre and Joseph Nathan Cruz over a Shadow Systems pistol Aguirre possessed, and witnesses said a physical struggle over the gun ensued.

Witnesses testified that Aguirre was unarmed at the moment Cruz gained control of the pistol; Cruz then fired several shots in rapid succession. Aguirre was struck in the head and chest and collapsed in the kitchen; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Anthony Williams, who had also been shot in the chest, later died at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center. Autopsies ruled both deaths homicides by gunshot wounds.

Cruz was arrested and tried on two counts of second-degree murder. A Woodbury County jury found him guilty of second-degree murder for Aguirre’s death and acquitted him of murder in Williams’s death. Cruz was sentenced in January 2024 to 50 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of 35 years and ordered to pay $150,000 to Aguirre’s estate. The Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction on March 5, 2025.

If anyone knew Carlos Ray Aguirre or has information about the events that night, please share what can help clarify what happened.