Wedding Night Horror: Groom Shot in Head During Failed Robbery in Missouri
A Missouri couple's wedding night turned into a nightmare when masked gunmen stormed their backyard reception and shot the groom in the head during a failed armed robbery.
Manuel and Dulce Gonzalez, who had been together for over a decade and were parents to two young children, were celebrating their wedding with about 50 close friends and family at their St. Louis home on Friday. However, the joyous occasion took a tragic turn around 1 a.m. Saturday when two gunmen wearing ski masks burst into the backyard, demanding money and ordering guests not to move, according to Fox 2 Now.
As one gunman searched through the guests' pockets, the other held Manuel Gonzalez at gunpoint before suddenly shooting him in the head. The attackers then fled on foot without stealing any money or items.
"They took nothing, yet they took everything from us," the bride's sister, Yaribeth Peña, told Fox 2 Now. The 32-year-old groom was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Peña, who had run into the house when the gunmen arrived, said the attack happened in about 30 seconds.
"I didn't witness when he got shot. I heard the gunshot when I was running through the house," she told KSDK. Peña suspects the robbers shot her brother-in-law while he was reaching for his wallet, possibly thinking he was going for a weapon.
The suspects, described as two teenagers with one shorter than the other, were caught on Ring doorbell footage approaching the house before the attempted robbery and fleeing after the shooting.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Manuel Gonzalez’s father-in-law reported that his son-in-law had made some hand movements since being hospitalized but remains in critical condition.
Peña described her sister as "distraught" and heartbroken, stating, "He's fighting for his life. We are hoping he pulls through." She also characterized Manuel Gonzalez as a "good father" and a hardworking family man who treats her sister with respect.
"He’s just an all-around good person that, I don’t know, he didn’t deserve this," Peña told Fox 2 Now.
Concerned for their safety, Peña, who lives next door to her sister and brother-in-law, expressed fear with the criminals still at large. "I feel like we would have to move to feel comfortable," she said, urging the community to help identify the suspects.
The family is asking anyone with information or additional Ring doorbell footage of the suspects to come forward.
