Fort Myers resident gets 25 years in prison in wounding, robbery that left man lying in street
A Fort Myers resident charged in a 2019 shooting that left a man lying in a street, wounded and trying to flag down help for hours will serve 25 years in prison.
Kevin Manuel Torres-Cruz, 27, of Puerto Rico, was sentenced Tuesday on one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of robbery – possessing a firearm.
On June 7, 2019, a passing motorist saw the victim, Luis Daniel Diaz-Cruz, 46, lying in the roadway near Old Metro Parkway and Hunter Street in Fort Myers by a passing motorist.
Diaz-Cruz told police he crawled "several hundred yards" to nearby Old Metro and tried flagging down vehicles for hours.
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Diaz-Cruz had been shot in the chest and had lacerations to his face.
He told investigators that he had gotten into a car with three friends to retrieve money owed to him.
Court documents said that Torres-Cruz shot the Diaz-Cruz in the chest and tried to shoot him in the head, but the gun jammed. The victim was then left to die in the road, court documents said.
Others charged in the crime include Brandon Pagan, 23, of Lehigh Acres, and Joseph Santiago-Cruz, 29, of Auburndale.
Pagan is awaiting sentencing.
Santiago-Cruz, sentenced in March 2021 to 6 years in state prison, had filed a motion to withdrew his no contest plea but later withdrew that motion and remains in state prison.
A fourth person involved was not charged.
Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook), @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers resident to serve prison term for 2019 robbery, shooting
