On the night of July 3, 2024, at about 11:05 p.m., officers responded to multiple reports of gunfire and a man screaming on North Pearl Street in East Salinas. Responding officers found 33-year-old Michael Frank Filomeno Cruz unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds; he was later pronounced dead at Natividad Medical Center.

Investigators say Cruz was confronted, robbed, and shot multiple times by four suspects. A search warrant executed the next morning on North Pearl Street led to the arrest of two 16-year-old juveniles; two additional juvenile suspects were apprehended by July 9, 2024. All four juveniles were booked into Monterey County Juvenile Hall and charged with murder, robbery, conspiracy, and gang enhancements. Authorities declined to release further details about the juveniles because of their age.

This was the third homicide in Salinas in 2024. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact investigators.