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Suspect Held Without Bond in Fatal Shooting Outside Orlando LGBTQ+ Club

Detectives are still determining the motive and exact sequence of events, with the 37-year-old suspect held without bond.

Overview

  • Police say the shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 22 outside Savoy Orlando on North Orange Avenue, and 33-year-old Julien Emmanuel Cruz died at a hospital.
  • Investigators report a verbal and physical dispute on the sidewalk preceded the gunfire, and the suspect allegedly retrieved a gun from a vehicle, fired, and fled.
  • Officers later found the suspect in the 200 block of East New Hampshire Avenue and arrested 37-year-old Jean Gabriel Borja Gil De La Madr.
  • He is charged with second-degree murder with a firearm and was ordered held without bond during a Monday court appearance.
  • Cruz’s family says he was shot after trying to break up a fight, and police list the case as Orlando’s third homicide of 2026 as they continue to review evidence and potential motive.