GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County Police are investigating a homicide at a church parking lot after someone found a man’s body with a gunshot wound in the parking lot Tuesday morning.
Police confirmed to Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson that one man was killed in the parking lot of Canon United Methodist Church on Webb Gin House Road.
On Wednesday, police identified the victim as 28-year-old Oscar Alexis Cruz. His family has set up a GoFundMe.
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The discovery left neighbors puzzled about what happened early Tuesday morning in their quiet community near Snellville.
Abby Gonzalez, who lives near the church, said her husband also spotted the body about an hour after the original tip led to the homicide investigation.
“My husband was driving, it was around 7 o’clock in the morning leaving to work and he actually saw the body and saw the officers and he stopped and he was like, should we be worried?” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez says officers reassured her it was an isolated incident. What makes the case more mysterious for her is that she and her family never heard gunshots.
Police arrived at the scene around 6 o’clock in the morning after receiving a 911 call and found the body of a Hispanic man in his 20s, police said. Investigators said they do not believe the church has any connection to the homicide.
The church canceled preschool classes for the day while police spent hours searching for evidence.
“We do not believe there is any association with the church itself,” said Sgt. James Lawson with Gwinnett County Police.
In a statement posted to social media, the church wrote “…As we understand it, the victim was not connected with Cannon. Our campus will reopen on Wednesday morning. We are praying for those affected by this tragedy, as well as for those conducting the investigation.”
Despite her concerns, Gonzalez said her family feels reassured by the area’s typically peaceful nature.
“We’ve been living here for three years and nothing like that has ever happened around here,” she said.
Police have not released information about suspects or a motive.
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