Executive Summary
- U.S. Marshals arrested Camron Phillips, 21, and Christian Gonzalez, 22, in Cleveland on Tuesday.
- Phillips is a suspect in the Sept. 28 shooting death of Zai’vyon Jackson.
- Gonzalez is charged in connection with the Nov. 9 homicide of Orlando Cruz.
- U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott cited the arrests as examples of successful federal-local collaboration.
The U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) arrested two individuals on Tuesday who were sought by the Cleveland Division of Police in connection with separate aggravated murder investigations. Authorities confirmed that both suspects were taken into custody within Cleveland city limits following the issuance of arrest warrants.
According to the official release from the U.S. Marshals Service, agents arrested 21-year-old Camron Phillips at a residence on the 3600 block of East 131st Street. Phillips had been identified as a suspect in the September 28 shooting death of Zai’vyon Jackson. Police reports indicate that officers from the Third District initially responded to a shooting near 1000 West 11th Street, where they discovered Jackson, 21, lying unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
In a separate operation conducted the same day, task force members apprehended Christian Gonzalez, 22, at MetroHealth Hospital in Cleveland. Gonzalez was wanted in connection with the homicide of Orlando Cruz, which occurred on November 9. Officers from the Second District responding to the incident on Storer Avenue reported seeing multiple vehicles fleeing the area at high speed upon their arrival. They located the victim, 30-year-old Orlando Cruz, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds near 4900 Storer Avenue.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott emphasized the ongoing collaboration between federal agents and local police in addressing violent crime. “The efforts of our task force are relentless and non-stop, as we are pursuing and arresting violent fugitives daily,” Elliott stated in the release. “Today’s arrests exemplify those efforts and the collaborative relationship our task force has with the Cleveland Division of Police, as we took two murder suspects off the streets of Cleveland.”
Operational Impact
The apprehension of these suspects highlights the critical function of federal fugitive task forces in augmenting local law enforcement resources during high-priority homicide investigations. By leveraging specialized federal capabilities to locate and apprehend individuals evading capture, local departments can accelerate the transition from investigation to judicial proceedings. It is important to note that both Camron Phillips and Christian Gonzalez are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
