Ruby Navarrete

Ruby Navarrete, a 15-year-old Hispanic girl from Cicero, Illinois, was a student at Morton East High School. A former teacher remembered her as a sweet and respectful girl with a real presence, someone who would confide in her and even brought a friend who was in trouble to her for help. She was described as having a way with words and was a cherished member of her school community.

On the night of November 20, 2022, Ruby was at a party held in a garage in Chicago's Austin neighborhood. The event, located in the 5800 block of West Augusta Boulevard, had been advertised on social media and drew a large crowd. Around 11:40 p.m., a fight broke out when security guards tried to escort a man out of the party. Another attendee, who knew the man being removed, left the scene with a companion, saying they were going to their vehicle.

A short time later, the two returned in a black sedan. One of the men, armed with a firearm equipped with an extended magazine, got out of the car, began yelling, and opened fire on the group of people standing on the sidewalk near the party. Ruby was struck in the head and rushed to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Linner Tyrone Hawkins, a 44-year-old man from Gary, Indiana, who was working as a security guard, was shot in the chest and also died at the hospital. A second security guard, a 39-year-old man, was shot in the leg and hand and was hospitalized in critical condition.

Less than a month later, on December 12, 2022, police arrested 18-year-old Edwin Lagunas in connection with the shooting. He was identified as the gunman and was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm. Phone records reportedly placed Lagunas at the location at the time of the shooting.

The case concluded in February 2026 when Edwin Lagunas pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder for his role in the deaths of Ruby Navarrete and Linner Hawkins. He was sentenced to 40 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.