Minneapolis Barber Gabe Arrazola Perez Killed: Suspect Now Charged With Murder

A dog walker stumbled onto him first — sprawled shirtless between two rail lines, a 15-foot blood trail behind him. That's how a beloved Twin Cities barber and Aztec dancer was found dead on Memorial Day, and now the man accused of killing him has confessed to police and been charged with murder.

What Happened

Gabriel 'Gabe' Arrazola Perez, 44, owned Barbers on Bryant in Minneapolis's Uptown district and was a well-known performer with the Indigenous Roots-based Aztec dance troupe Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli. The last time the people in his life heard from him, he was leaving a friend's house around 7 p.m. on May 24, and his sister expected him home for dinner. He never arrived. A dog walker found his body on the railroad tracks behind a produce store near the 1400 block of Case Avenue the following morning, bearing injuries caused by an edged weapon.

Court documents paint a grim scene. Officers found Arrazola Perez shirtless, with lacerations to his arm, chest and torso. Investigators found a blood trail along the railroad tracks that was about 15 feet long, and his Subaru Crosstrek was parked about a half-mile from where he was found dead.

For days, the case sat cold. Friends in the Aztec dance community held a 'novena' — nine days of prayer — culminating in a news conference and vigil on June 2 as they tried to compile a timeline of where Arrazola Perez was before being killed. Family and friends went public with frustration over the pace of the investigation, with one friend who'd been with him the night before telling reporters, 'It's been nine days, and no one has called me. What have they been doing?'

Then came the break. Investigators tracked a phone number and conducted surveillance on a man seen on gas station video coming and going from an apartment near where Arrazola Perez was killed, then carried out a search warrant and arrested Omar Andres Ramos Castro, 24, who was seen in surveillance video with Arrazola Perez.

Ramos Castro initially lied to investigators. He first told them he only met Arrazola Perez once and didn't know his name, claiming Arrazola Perez had hired him to remove construction debris and that they didn't have a friendship or socialize. Confronted with evidence, his story changed. After being confronted with phone records, GPS data and surveillance video placing him at the scene, Ramos Castro admitted to stabbing Perez, claiming Perez repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances toward him, and said he was angry and felt he had to defend himself.

According to the complaint, Castro said Arrazola Perez 'made unwanted sexual advances toward him' and grabbed his body despite Castro's 'protestations,' then became 'filled with rage' and felt he had to defend himself — allegedly stabbing him and telling investigators he couldn't recall how many times because 'he was so overwhelmed by anger.' He was booked on second-degree murder. If convicted, Castro faces up to 40 years in prison.

St. Paul's police chief credited the investigative team for cracking a case that started with almost nothing. 'Starting with almost no evidence, those involved conducted an investigation which led to an arrest and a confession,' Chief Axel Henry said. 'The family of Gabriel Arrazola Perez can never replace this loss, but at least we can offer them some justice.'

One detail is adding another layer to the story: ICE officials confirmed they've issued a detainer for Ramos Castro, claiming he admitted to illegally entering the U.S. from El Salvador in 2023 and has no legal status, and he's currently being held in the Ramsey County Jail.

Why It Matters

This isn't just a crime blotter entry — it's the loss of a man who was a financial lifeline and cultural anchor for his own family and community. He owned Barbers on Bryant in the Uptown district of Minneapolis, through which he financially supported his sister and several nieces and nephews. Friends described him as someone it was 'beyond comprehension that anybody would lift a finger to,' calling him a pacifist whose 'passing is something that has taken the entire community by surprise.'

His family's own words capture the weight of the loss: 'He was our safe place, our protector, our provider, and the person who held all of us together.'

There's also a harder question hanging over the case. Friends worried this could have been a hate crime, noting Arrazola Perez was a Latino and proud member of the LGBTQ community. A defense attorney not connected to the case has already flagged where this could head in court: 'What your counting on is the homophobia of jurors,' said Jennifer Pradt, a criminal defense attorney, suggesting it's possible Castro is trying to say Perez's sexuality prompted him to act rashly in self-defense.

Industry Impact

Arrazola Perez wasn't just cutting hair — he built Barbers on Bryant into a cultural touchstone. His shop was described as a business he owned in Minneapolis after being originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, and friends say his pride in that heritage showed up in every corner of the space he built. For barbershop owners who double as community hubs — hosting art, culture, and neighborhood connection alongside haircuts — his death is a stark reminder of how personal and public a barber's life can be, and how much a single shop can mean to the people who depend on it.

The case has also reopened uncomfortable conversations in the Twin Cities barbering and immigrant communities about safety, transparency in police investigations, and how quickly law enforcement responds when the victim is an immigrant, a person of color, or LGBTQ. Those questions aren't going away as the case moves toward trial.

Lessons for Barbers and Shop Owners

A few sobering takeaways for the industry:

1. Client relationships outside the shop carry real risk. Court documents show Ramos Castro and Arrazola Perez had an ongoing relationship beyond the barbershop chair — Ramos Castro said he had been hired by Perez to remove construction debris from his home, and that Perez had regularly contacted him since then, inviting him over to eat or smoke marijuana. Blurring the line between client, contractor, and personal friend can complicate boundaries — barbers who take on side work or socialize with clients outside professional settings should stay alert to how those relationships evolve.

2. Don't wait to escalate concerns about a missing colleague or friend. The novena and public vigil organized by Arrazola Perez's dance community and friends helped keep pressure on investigators and kept his story from going cold. If a fellow barber or shop regular goes silent unexpectedly, don't hesitate to report it immediately and push for a timeline — as his friends did when they questioned why it took police a week to issue a public call for tips, when potential witnesses' memories may have faded and neighboring security footage deleted.

3. Shops serving immigrant, LGBTQ, or minority communities should have a plan for hate-motivated violence. With friends and advocacy groups already raising the possibility of a bias motive in this case, shop owners in diverse neighborhoods should know how to document and report suspected hate incidents, and connect victims' families with LGBTQ or immigrant-rights legal resources early.

4. Community support networks matter after tragedy. A GoFundMe was organized to help return Arrazola Perez's body to Oaxaca and support his sister and nieces — a reminder that shops and barbering communities can organize quickly to support a colleague's family in crisis, both financially and emotionally.

Related Reading

For barbers following this case, continued coverage from CBS Minnesota and the Minnesota Star Tribune has tracked the investigation from the initial discovery through the murder charge and the ICE detainer news. As of this writing, no trial date has been publicly confirmed; we'll continue watching for updates on court proceedings and any determination on hate-crime enhancements.