Search widens for man accused of fatally shooting young mother of 4 in Durham
Durham police have widened the search for a man they say fatally shot a young mother early Saturday morning in south Durham.
The suspect, Jorge Maya Gomez, 28, of Tampa, Florida, also uses an alias of Martin Benitez, 29, of Durham, police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said in an email Monday night. He may be traveling through Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, according to the email.
“Gomez is considered to be armed and dangerous,” police said in a news release.
Officers responded around 2:15 a.m. Saturday to an assault call at a home on Capstone Drive just south of C.M. Herndon Park in southern Durham. They found Jessica Cortez Luna, 28, also of Tampa, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.
Gomez is 6 feet to 6 feet 1 inch tall, with a thin build, short brown hair and a long goatee, the release stated. He was last seen fleeing in a black 2016 Chevrolet 1500 Silverado truck with N.C. license plate HEW-3881.
Luna had four children, family members said on Facebook and on a GoFundMe page raising money for her funeral.
“Today we are sadden(ed) by the loss of our sister, aunt and friend,” the page stated in English and Spanish. “Jessica was the victim of a homicide due to domestic violence and leaves behind 4 children. We are asking for your help to cover funeral expenses during this tragic time.”
Shootings up in Durham in 2020
As of Nov. 28, the latest date for which The News & Observer has information, a total of 291 people had been shot in Durham this year. That was up nearly 63% from 179 people shot by the same time last year, according to an email from Michael.
Saturday’s death makes at least 37 people killed in the Bull City this year, according to police statistics and news releases.
As of Nov. 28, there had been 32 homicides in Durham this year, according to the Police Department website. That was compared to 37 homicides by the same time last year and a five-year average of 34 homicides by the same time of year from 2014-2019.
The latest death is at least the fifth homicide this month:
▪ On Dec. 19, Alexander Keith Hairston, 20, of Garner was found fatally shot on Fayetteville Street.
▪ On Dec. 14, Leondras Anthony Malone, 39, of Durham was found fatally shot inside a car on East Lawson Street.
▪ On Dec. 9, Cedric Deon Bowens, 42, of Durham was found fatally shot on Fayetteville Street.
▪ On Dec. 1, Jelani Whittington, 37, of Durham was found fatally shot inside a car on East Main Street.
Anyone with information on Gomez’s whereabouts is asked to call police at 919-560-4440, ext. 29335 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.
This story was originally published December 26, 2020 at 9:49 AM.