Carlos Cruz, slain Worcester father of four, remembered for ‘giant-sized heart’ at vigil as loved ones call for end to gun violence
Updated May 14, 2021;
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Since Sunday, in the hours after Carlos Cruz was gunned down in Worcester, people mentioned two things about the father of four: his “big smile” and his “giant-sized heart.”
Recalling that memory to a group of mourners at a vigil on Friday afternoon, Cruz’s brother Javier Pena pointed out that Worcester is known as the “Heart of the Commonwealth.”
“Carlos Miguel Cruz was the heart of Worcester,” Pena told the several dozen friends and family members who stood outside the Paku Lounge at 215 Chandler St., where Cruz was shot over the weekend.
Candlelight vigil planned for Carlos Cruz, widowed father of 4 slain near Worcester restaurant
Updated May 12, 2021;
Posted May 12, 2021
Forty-four-year-old Carlos Cruz, pictured to the right, was shot and killed near the Paku Lounge in Worcester on May 8, 2021. He s remembered by his four sons, two of whom are now without both a father and a mother. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Cruz s youngest sons in the wake of his death. Their mother died in 2019 from a brain aneurysm. (Courtesy the Cruz family)
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To promote unity and reflect on the life of Carlos Cruz, a candlelight vigil will be held Friday evening in memory of the widowed father of four who was slain near a Worcester restaurant last week.
Angel Ortiz-Santos, man facing charges in Worcester weekend fatal shooting of Carlos Cruz, was found not guilty in another separate killing years earlier
Posted May 11, 2021
Angel Ortiz-Santos appears via Zoom in Worcester District Court as he faces charges in connection to a May 8, 2021 killing in Worcester.
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The 28-year-old man charged in connection with the killing of a widowed, father of four in Worcester over the weekend previously faced a murder charge in another case but was found not guilty, records show.
Angel Ortiz-Santos, who has a last known address in Worcester, was arraigned in Worcester District Court Tuesday on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and carrying a firearm without a license in connection with the fatal shooting of Carlos Cruz on Saturday.
WORCESTER A father of four was shot and killed early Saturday morning on Chandler Street.
Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the area of the Paku Lounge Restaurant at 215 Chandler St. for a “ShotSpotter” activation, according to police.
Police saw the victim on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound. The officers rendered medical aid on the victim who was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.
Although the victim’s name is being withheld by police, the victim’s family confirmed that the deceased is Carlos Cruz, 44, of Worcester.
Carlos Cruz, widowed father of 4, shot and killed in Worcester; GoFundMe set up to support his children, who are left without parents
Updated May 10, 2021;
Posted May 10, 2021
Forty-four-year-old Carlos Cruz, pictured to the right, was shot and killed near the Paku Lounge in Worcester on May 8, 2021. He s remembered by his four sons, two of whom are now without both a father and a mother. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Cruz s youngest sons in the wake of his death. Their mother died in 2019 from a brain aneurysm. (Courtesy the Cruz family)
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In the pre-dawn hours of May 8, Sincere and Tristan Cruz of Worcester lost their only living parent to gun violence.