Tiago Antonio Gilbert Obituary, Death; – Arrest warrants have been issued for three individuals in connection with their suspected involvement in the second of a series of fatal shootings that occurred last week in Minneapolis.
Court documents indicate that charges were formally filed on Friday against Victor Joseph Vasquez-Rodriguez, 20, from Haywood, Wisconsin; Jose David Vazquez-Rodriguez, 22, from Minneapolis; and Raphael Joseph Rodriguez, 35, from Columbia Heights. The accused are alleged to have shot and killed 34-year-old Tiago Antonio Gilbert on Wednesday afternoon outside the Red Lake Nation Embassy and Mino-Bimaadiziwin Apartments and Wellness Clinic, located near the intersection of Cedar and 17th avenues.
A criminal complaint reveals that surveillance footage captures two men, identified as Jose Vazquez-Rodriguez and Raphael Rodriguez, walking along the sidewalk when a silver sedan approaches them. The driver, Victor Vasquez-Rodriguez, is observed exiting the vehicle before he and Jose Vazquez-Rodriguez open fire on the victim.
The footage further depicts the two assailants continuing to shoot at Gilbert as he attempts to flee from his car and while he is on the ground. Subsequently, all three suspects enter the sedan, driven by Raphael Rodriguez, and depart the scene, according to the complaint. Gilbert’s girlfriend, who witnessed the incident, informed law enforcement that Gilbert had attempted to retrieve his firearm from the car after the shooting commenced.
She also noted that her two young children were present inside the victim’s vehicle during the attack. Fortunately, they were unharmed, although Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara reported that one bullet narrowly missed them. This shooting occurred just 13 hours following a tragic event a few blocks away that resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including a 17-year-old boy. O’Hara stated that investigators are examining the possibility that Gilbert’s murder was an act of retaliation.
A third fatal shooting transpired later that Wednesday night, marking the sixth shooting death in the city within a span of less than 24 hours. Jose Vazquez-Rodriguez and Victor Vasquez-Rodriguez are each charged with one count of second-degree murder, while Raphael Rodriguez faces a charge of aiding an offender. As of Monday, none of the suspects had been apprehended.
