Road rage incident leaves 1 dead, 1 hospitalized and a suspect arrested, Gwinnett police say

LILBURN, Ga. — Road rage took a deadly turn in Gwinnett County Sunday afternoon.

Omar Cantillo Avila, 45, died. One of his passengers was hospitalized. Police arrested Luis Cruz, 18, charging him with felony murder and aggravated assault.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was at the Durham Ridge subdivision near Harbins and Dickens Roads where the shooting happened around 12:00 p.m.

Surveillance video captured the sound of rapid gunfire from Cruz’s AK-style riflye.

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“My mom passed it just a few seconds before. So, yeah, it could have been my mom,” said Taryn Nix.

Nix stood in a crowd that watched police gather evidence for more than seven hours.

“I’m sending prayers up because that’s so messed up,” said Nix.

Avila’s brother told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco that Avila was a father, originally from Colombia. He was driving his black SUV with two friends with him Sunday afternoon when police say he crossed paths with Cruz. Detectives said something sparked rage that escalated to gunfire.

Johnson spoke to a family member of Aliva, who said Cruz had no remorse about the shooting.

“This is a 43-year-old man that you killed. He has a son. He has a family,” the family member said. “He has people in his country that he takes care of.”

Aliva’s family said Cruz has upset with his driving and started honking his horn, which escalated.

“They were flicking each other off,” the family members said. “So they had an encounter. Then the dude was waiting for them. That’s not somebody that should have a gun at all.”

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“People need to take a deep breath and calm down and not resort to firearms to settle what amounts to a very non-descript incident,” said Capt. Scott Bennett.

Capt. Bennett said evidence shows both men fired guns. Avila did not make it. One of his friends was hospitalized. He said Cruz ran after tossing a long gun next to Avila’s SUV.

Then, as detectives gathered evidence, Capt. Bennett said Cruz’s uncle called.

“He said he had his nephew with him, his nephew was involved, and he wanted to turn himself in,” said Capt. Bennett.

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It’s Cruz’s fourth arrest since last year mostly on traffic and drug charges.

Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office staff and Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents were on scene helping Lilburn Police Department process evidence.

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