Two men face charges in a Gary pawn shop owner’s slaying.
Derek Sanders, 23, the alleged shooter, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder, one count of attempted armed robbery and a gun enhancement on all three counts. He is in custody, held without bail.
Charles L. Garcia-Berrios, 32, of Hammond, the alleged getaway driver, is charged with two counts of murder, one count each of armed robbery and assisting a criminal. He is in custody, held without bail.
They both appeared in court Wednesday where a public defender was appointed. Garcia-Berrios’ next hearing is Dec. 17, while Sanders is scheduled for Dec. 20.
After his arrest, Sanders told cops that pawn shop owner Brandon Cruz sold him drugs and he went there angrily to get his money back. Sanders said he knew Cruz for years and was “not afraid to kill ‘(an expletive),’” court records state.
He argued and Cruz said to leave. Sanders said after Cruz walked toward him, he shot him. Sanders said he threw the gun that day into the Little Calumet River.
Gary Police responded at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 17 to We Buy Gold, 3720 Broadway Ave.
Cruz, 50, of Lake Station was found shot in the back of the head just inside the store. A bullet casing was close by. His death was ruled a homicide.
Video surveillance appears to show a man in “dark clothing” following Cruz into the store from an alley. Just before he went inside, the man dropped a purple cellphone on the ground that police later collected.
Inside, within seconds, the man points a gun at Cruz. After a struggle, he shoots Cruz, then runs off.
Just before the shooting, another video appeared to show a dark Buick dropping off a man – in clothing similar to the shooter – one block east on the 3700 block of Washington Street. He is talking on a similar cellphone. The same car picked him up after the shooting.
Police used license plate readers and video to track the vehicle about a half hour after Cruz was killed to a Hammond gas station near Grand Boulevard and 169th Street. One man with neck tattoos – later identified as Garcia-Berrios – went inside.
The Buick was registered to Garcia-Berrios’s wife.
Garcia-Berrios’ cellphone pinged in the area at the time of the murder, charges allege. He was later arrested in a traffic stop where police took two cellphones. He declined to speak to officers.
The affidavit notes he was on federal parole. A man with the same name and birthdate was charged in Lake County with cocaine possession Tuesday.
Police extracted the purple cellphone and linked it to Sanders. He was arrested Dec. 9 at his apartment. Officers found clothes similar to the shooter there, according to charging documents.
mcolias@post-trib.com
