What we know about men reportedly involved in deadly shootout with Cuban forces

Cuba’s government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.

NBC6 spoke to one of the men, who despite being on that list, says he’s in South Florida, but skirted other questions about the deadly shooting.

Who was on the boat?

Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire on the soldiers first, injuring one Cuban officer.

It identified seven of the 10 passengers, including:

• Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara
• Roberto Azcorra Consuegra
• Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez
• Conrado Galindo Sariol
• Michel Ortega Casanova (deceased)
• José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló
• Amijail Sánchez González

Three others have not yet been identified.

Cuba’s government said the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity.”

“The investigation process continues until the facts are fully clarified,” the ministry said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told reporters earlier that he was made aware of the incident and that the U.S. is now gathering its own information to determine if the victims were American citizens or permanent residents.

Cuba’s government said it obtained the details about the passengers aboard the boat from the suspects detained following the shootout.

Roberto Azcorra Consuegra

NBC6’s sister station Telemundo 51 spoke to one of the men reportedly injured in the shooting in a video call in Spanish.

He said he was taken by surprise to know his name was on the list.

“What’s important now is that my name is there, they say they have me detained and I’m here in the United States,” Azcorra Consuegra said.

He denied knowledge of any plan to go to Cuba. But when asked if he knew any of the other names on the list provided by the Cuban government, he replied: “I can’t reveal that information for now.”

When asked why he believes the government would provide his name on the list, Azcorra Consuegra said: “They know me. They know me well, they know it all.”

“There’s lots of information out there and to not tell you something that’s false or that could jeopardize other things, it’s better to wait to see what happens,” he continued.

Michel Ortega Casanova

Misael Ortega Casanova, brother of Michel Ortega Casanova, told The Associated Press late Wednesday that he was mourning his brother’s death but lamented that he fell into what he called an “obsessive and diabolical” quest for Cuba’s freedom.

“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand,” Misael Ortega Casanova said, referring to the “great suffering” that he and other Cubans on the island have faced.

He noted that his brother, who was a truck driver and an American citizen who lived for more than 20 years in the U.S., leaves behind his wife, his mother, two sisters — one of whom lives in Cuba — and a daughter who is pregnant.

“No one knew,” Misael said of his brother’s plans. “My mother is devastated.”

He added: “They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives.”

Misael said that he did not recognize any of the names that the Cuban government released.

He said that while he doesn’t believe in heroes — “because that is ignorance” — he hopes that his brother’s death might be a worthwhile sacrifice: “maybe it will justify that some day Cuba will be free.”

Conrado Galindo Sariol

One of the men identified by the Cuban government, Conrado Galindo Sariol, was interviewed in June 2025 by Martí Noticias, a U.S.-based news site that has long called for a change of government in Cuba.

Galindo, whom the host called “a legend” and a former political prisoner, was quoted as saying that he wants to support the struggles that Cubans face, especially in the eastern part of the island “to achieve the freedom that is needed.”

He said that the protests in Cuba at that time were “not a spark that’s going to be extinguished.”

“The regime’s leaders are crisscrossing Cuba, trying to mitigate what’s coming very soon because … they know they’re out of power, that they can’t do anything about it, and they’re looking for ways to prevent the protests from growing in other parts of the country,” Galindo was quoted as saying.

Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez

The Cuban government identified two of the boat passengers as Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, who are wanted by Cuban authorities “based on their involvement in the promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions carried out in the national territory or in other countries, in connection with acts of terrorism.”

The Cuban government also said it had arrested Duniel Hernández Santos, adding that he was “sent from the United States to guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration, who at this time has confessed to his actions.”

The Associated Press was not immediately able to independently verify that information.