Queen Street Ambush Leaves Two Dead in Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda is on edge tonight after a brutal weekend shooting claimed the lives of two men. Twenty‑four‑year‑old Luis Barillas and forty‑three‑year‑old Derrick Arnold were ambushed and killed just outside Barillas’ home on Queen Street late Saturday night. The attack has left residents shaken and raised urgent questions about motive, community safety, and whether the double murder is connected to a separate missing person case that’s already under investigation. News Five’s Paul Lopez travelled to PG today to get answers. Here’s his report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Punta Gorda is reeling tonight after a deadly double murder shattered the quiet of the weekend. Around eight o’clock on Saturday night, twenty-four‑year‑old Luis Barillas was hanging out with friends and relatives at his family’s home on Queen Street. Among them was forty-three‑year‑old Derrick Arnold. They were socializing when a knock came at the zinc gate. Arnold went to check it, only to come face‑to‑face with a dark‑complexioned man in a hoodie, armed and ready to shoot. The gunman opened fire immediately, hitting Arnold in the chest, thigh, and back. He then turned the weapon on Barillas, shooting him in the head and face before taking off. Police rushed to the scene moments later, but the attacker was long gone.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“The investigation commenced on Saturday seventh 2026 at approximately eight ten p.m. when police were alerted to shooting incident at the corner of Jose Maria Nunez Street and Queen Street in Punta Gorda Town. Upon arrival the officers observed an injured male person identified as forty-three-year-old Derrick Arnold who was suffering from apparent gunshot wounds t the body. Also at the scene was the unresponsive body of Luis Barillas which likewise exhibited apparent gunshot wounds. Both men were transported to the hospital where Arnold succumbed to the injuries he sustained. Preliminary investigation indicate that Arnold and Barillas were at the rear of Barillas’ residence when a male person is reported to have gone to that location and called out for Barillas. Barillas and Arnold went to the front of the residence and that is when they were met with gunfire. Police have since detained three persons in connection with this investigation and we are on the view based on the investigative lead that charges will be forthcoming in due course.”

Sources tell News Five that both men were well known in Punta Gorda. Barillas carried a long rap sheet, including a 2023 charge, along with another man, for the Christmas Day murder of his friend, thirty‑year‑old Kaleem Chun. His family declined to comment. Arnold’s sister, Rozeta, meanwhile, openly admits her brother “was no saint.”

 

On the Phone: Rozeta Arnold, Sister of Deceased

“When I get the call nine o’clock in the night that he got shot. I was surprised. I believe that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, because I don’t know why someone would want to shoot him. I don’t know what to say about that one.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Is that an area or a property he frequented?”

 

On the Phone: Rozeta Arnold

“Well, to be honest I don’t even know he hang around that area. So when I got the call I was surprised. Maybe he was friends with the bway because I don’t know all who he associate himself with. He dah wah free spirited person. He is a free spirited person, because he was here, there everywhere.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Was he known to be a trouble maker?”

 

On the Phone: Rozeta Arnold

“He do like to give trouble. That part I can’t deny. He like give trouble when he is ready. But when he ready, he calm and sweet. So, what happened that night, I don’t know.”

 

Arnold’s family is tonight searching for answers, saying little makes sense about his murder. He leaves behind a five‑year‑old son. Police, meanwhile, confirm they’ve carried out anti‑drug operations in the area where Barillas lived. And investigators are now looking seriously at whether this double murder is tied to the disappearance of Canadian national Alfred Pleil. One of the victims was already a person of interest in that case, and that angle is very much under review tonight.

ASP Stacy Smith

“We are exploring several motives. I know that area that Barillas resides, we have conducted anti-drug operation just next to it and recovered quite a number of drugs and firearm.”

 

Reporter

“Do you know if these incidents are related in any kind of way? The missing man and the murders?”

 

ASP Stacy Smith

“As I would have stated it is an ongoing investigation, I can say that those persons who have been detained, the investigation does not suggest that. But one of the diseased was a person of interest in the investigation regarding the disappearance of the Canadian national.”

 

Investigators are still working to unravel what led to this deadly attack, while the victims’ families are left struggling for answers. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.