Jorge “George” Ortiz, 57, was arrested Monday after a brief foot chase, ending a week-long manhunt for the suspect in a Bridgeport road rage killing.
Bridgeport police charged Ortiz with murder, criminal possession of a pistol and carrying a pistol without a permit in the Oct. 12 shooting of Nelson Batista, 48, according to a department statement. The arrest came just hours before Batista’s funeral was set to begin.
“This was a random act,” Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter told reporters at a news briefing announcing the arrest. Ortiz and Batista were strangers, the chief confirmed.
The deadly confrontation unfolded around 9 a.m. On Park Avenue, according to a police affidavit. Surveillance video shows a man identified as Ortiz following a woman down the avenue as Batista turned his SUV down a side street. Ortiz allegedly slapped his hands on the side of the vehicle, prompting Batista to stop and get out.
Ortiz allegedly punched Batista first, and the two fell to the ground in a scuffle. Surveillance footage showed them struggling for control of a handgun, the affidavit states. The city’s ShotSpotter program captured at least two gunshots. The medical examiner later determined one struck Batista in the chest.
Video recorded from inside a vehicle captured portions of the scuffle, including the attacker rising, striking Batista in the head with the butt of a pistol and fleeing as the victim lay motionless in the street.
Police credited community tips for Ortiz’s capture. A woman recorded some of the incident on cellphone video, and other witnesses helped identify him. A detective recognized Ortiz from prior encounters, including one in March, according to the affidavit. He had been arrested on misdemeanor drug charges in a case that remains pending. Police also received a tip from a man who said he could identify Ortiz as the man in the photo.
Court records show Ortiz received a 30-year sentence in 1992 for felony murder. He was off parole at the time of Batista’s death.
Batista had buried his 25-year-old Air Force airman son in Louisiana on Oct. 3, according to an online obituary, just nine days before his own death. He was a father of six and grandfather of three. His obituary described him as an avid fan of Major League Baseball and the NFL, especially the New York Yankees.