A Connecticut man previously sentenced to 30 years in prison for a 1992 felony murder conviction has been arrested in connection with a fatal road rage shooting in Bridgeport. Jorge “George” Ortiz, 57, was taken into custody Monday following a brief foot chase, ending a week-long manhunt, according to city police.
Ortiz is charged with murder, criminal possession of a pistol and carrying a pistol without a permit. He is accused of killing 48-year-old Nelson Batista on Oct. 12 during a 9 a.m. road rage incident. Batista, a grandfather of three, had recently returned from burying his 25-year-old son, an Air Force airman, in Louisiana on Oct. 3.
Details of the incident
Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter stated that Ortiz and Batista were strangers. “This was a random act,” Porter told reporters during a news briefing held hours before Batista’s funeral.
According to a police affidavit, surveillance video shows Ortiz following a woman down Park Avenue as Batista turned his SUV onto a side street. Ortiz allegedly slapped the side of the victim’s vehicle, prompting Batista to stop and exit the car. The two men began to scuffle, and video showed them struggling for control of a handgun. The city’s ShotSpotter program recorded at least two gunshots, and the medical examiner later determined that Batista was struck in the chest. He died at a hospital.
Investigation and background
Police credited community tips and cellphone video recorded by a witness for the identification and capture of Ortiz. Additional footage from inside a vehicle captured the attacker striking Batista in the head with the butt of a pistol before fleeing the scene.
A detective recognized Ortiz from prior encounters, including a pending case involving misdemeanor drug charges from March. Court records confirm that Ortiz served a 30-year sentence for a 1992 felony murder conviction and was off parole at the time of the shooting.
Batista, a father of six, was described in his obituary as an avid fan of the New York Yankees and the NFL.
