A beloved special education teacher was gunned down by a teenager who shot him dead after an alleged argument about graffiti.

32-year-old Jose Santa Cruz was a dedicated special ed teacher and business owner who was shot dead by 18-year-old Zyonn Dawson whom he reportedly confronted after seeing the boy vandalize a business with graffiti.

The incident took place in East Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, where Santa Cruz allegedly ran two businesses on top of his job at Cortez Elementary School.

At around 7 pm on January 7, the teacher was helping his father park his truck. He then abruptly left the parking lot and approached Dawson before getting shot dead.

While the teacher was rushed to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries just hours after getting shot. Following the deadly encounter, the authorities reviewed surveillance footage and arrested Dawson.

According to the police, fresh graffiti was found at the murder scene, whereas the victim’s father told the investigators how Santa Cruz would confront people if he saw them “spray painting graffiti on the wall of the business.”

As the authorities believe, the people involved in the shooting don’t know each other, whereas the 32-year-old was likely shot dead by Dawson after confronting the teenager about his vandalism.

Nearly a week after the shooting, Dawson was arrested and charged with murder. He is currently being held without bail.

As the 18-year-old insisted, he pulled the trigger and shot the teacher because he was afraid of getting robbed.

Following Cruz’s premature passing, the victim’s sister started a GoFundMe page to help the family with funeral expenses.

“In loving memory of my brother. Jose, you are missed more deeply than words can describe,” Magali Santa Cruz wrote on GoFundMe.

“God looked around his garden and found an empty place. He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tried face. He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest with the help of his angels they flew you to your heavenly place.

“Your actions were always kind a generous hand an active mind anxious to please and loath to offend. A loving brother and faithful friend. We’ll all miss you very much.

“He was taken too early. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Any amount would be greatly appreciated for the cost of the funeral.”

 

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