Rubelio Gomez Cervantes was 40 when he left late on the night of October 16, 2018, and never made it home. Police were called just after 11 p.m. to Northeast Washington, D.C., where he had been shot; investigators determined the shooting occurred in the 1100 block of 51st Street NE, but officers found him down outside a 7-Eleven in the 900 block of Eastern Avenue NE. He was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Authorities identified him as a Riverdale, Maryland resident; Spanish-language coverage described him as a Guatemalan construction worker whose family was left searching for answers. Detectives released surveillance footage showing two suspects and later shared clips from a Metrobus, and a standing reward was posted for tips. The timeline around 11:18–11:23 p.m. was highlighted as critical.

Police had not announced any arrests and continued to ask anyone with information to come forward. Does anyone have information or recall seeing activity near 51st Street NE or Eastern Avenue NE that night?