In season four episode "Sudden Death", Julio's brother Oscar is shot to death by a gang member on the sidewalk near his home because he was believed to be part of a rival gang. Once the case is closed, Julio confesses to Provenza that he had given his brother the hat that the killers mistook for a symbol of a rival gang affiliation which led to Oscar's death, upon which Julio breaks down crying. Later in the season ("Time Bomb"), Julio is shot three times by bullets intended for Provenza. Julio survives, after five surgeries and shoulder reconstruction, and is back on the force via Chief Johnson's recommendation in that season's "Good Faith".