By Mike Caputo
The suspect then turned the gun on himself when he was cornered by police, authorities said.
Kevin Cruz, 21, of Far Rockaway, was gunned down by Giovanni Cruz, 24, of Brooklyn, on Dec. 26 in the fast-food restaurant on Rockaway Turnpike, police said. According to detectives at the Nassau County Homicide Squad, the suspect and the victim's girlfriend had a one-year relationship, which ended in September. The two men were not related.
Detective Lt. Mike Fleming explained that Kevin Cruz began a relationship with the girl in September. "The suspect was heartbroken over the breakup," Fleming said. "He was depressed because of the breakup and couldn't accept it."
Fleming would not identify the girl, but described her as a 20-year-old from Far Rockaway. Armed with a .38 caliber semiautomatic pistol, Giovanni Cruz confronted Kevin Cruz in the Taco Bell shortly after 7:30 p.m., authorities said. Fleming said that the two scuffled behind the counter, and then Giovanni Cruz shot the victim several times in the arm, torso and face. There were about six customers in the restaurant at the time, Fleming said.
According to police, Giovanni Cruz fled on foot, and officers pursued him through alleys and yards behind Bay Harbour Mall. When they confronted him behind a garage, he refused to raise his hands, shot himself in the chest and died at the scene, police said.
A Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department ambulance rushed Kevin Cruz to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about two hours later, authorities said.
At a press conference on Dec. 27, Fleming said that Giovanni Cruz had called his ex-girlfriend, told her he "had done something crazy" and that he planned on killing himself. Handwritten notes were also recovered from Giovanni Cruz, which mentioned his suicidal intentions, Fleming said.
"His notes express remorse, sorrow and regret for what he was about to do," Fleming said. "He stated that he could not live under those circumstances, he was still in love with the girl and was heartbroken and depressed over the breakup."
The day after the incident, investigators were trying to determine where Giovanni Cruz got the weapon.
Meanwhile, employees of the Taco Bell came to work that morning, only hours after the incident, but the store remained closed until late last week. Kevin Cruz had worked there for eight months, a company spokesman said. His fellow employees were not available for comment.
Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch said the company is determined to offer support to workers there. "We are really focused on counseling the crew, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of everyone that has been affected," Poetsch said. "This is a pretty horrible tragedy, so we are really trying to focus on the grieving process and [providing] counseling for everyone that has been involved."
Poetsch explained that workers are trained for emergency situations. "We have certain protocols that we train all our employees in," Poetsch said. "The safety of our employees and customers is our number one priority, and we have guidelines that follow that."
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