Miguel Angel Perez, 54, was fatally shot on February 11, 2023, while waiting in his car on the 1300 block of 7th Avenue in Rockford, Illinois. He was canvassing neighborhoods with his family for the Jehovah’s Witnesses and had remained in the vehicle while family members went door to door. Witnesses reported a white vehicle passed by and its occupants fired shots as it drove away. Officers found Perez dead in his car with gunshot wounds.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for a 15-year-old suspect who remains at large. The community has been shaken by the killing in a neighborhood already affected by frequent gunfire; residents say some are considering moving. Perez was born August 1, 1968, in Cueramaro, Guanajuato, Mexico, raised in Watsonville, California, and worked as a welder. He is survived by children, grandchildren, and siblings. A GoFundMe was started to help the family with funeral expenses and other debts.

Anyone with information that could help identify or locate the vehicle or the suspect is asked to contact the Rockford Police Department or Rockford Area Crime Stoppers.