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Police in Florida are currently looking into what happened to Angel Nunes on New Year's. They now say the bullet that killed him came from a stray bullet.
A Fort Lauderdale man said his partner was shot and killed as the couple embraced on New Year’s. Police confirmed they are investigating the death as a homicide. Authorities now believe the death was from a stray bullet fired in celebration.
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Christopher Dillon told news outlets that his partner, Angel Nunes of Wilton Manors, visited him on New Year’s and died while the two were on his pool deck. Dillon told Local 10 news that Nunes had surprised him at his home that evening.
“He says, ‘I didn’t want you to spend New Year’s Eve by yourself,” Dillon said. “And if I didn’t love him before, I certainly loved him after that statement.”
The two were embracing, telling one another they loved each other, when Dillon said he saw a flash and Nunes went limp in his arms. “I saw out the corner of my eye, a flash, like a tiny flash, and then he fell,” he said.
The story was reported locally as a cautionary tale of discharging firearms on New Year’s Day.
Fort Lauderdale police more than two days after the shooting exercised caution in identifying a cause of death. Only on Jan. 3 would police identify Nunes as the victim.
But on Friday afternoon, police released an update making clear evidence points that Nunez died in an accidental shooting.
"This incident does not appear to be targeted for any reason. This information is preliminary and subject to change at any time," reads an email from police spokesperson Casey Liening and sent to The Advocate."
Earlier in the day, police still were exploring multiple theories about the homicide.
“FLPD is actively investigating this homicide,” Liening wrote in an email early Friday. “We are exploring all possibilities as a part of the investigation, including *if* the victim was struck by a stray bullet. Again, anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact FLPD immediately.”
An incident report is not yet available.
"FLPD’s Homicide Unit continues to conduct a very thorough investigation including a careful review of the scene and all available evidence to try to determine where this bullet originated from.," Liening wrote. "FLPD strongly encourages anyone with information regarding the discharge of a firearm into the air on New Year’s Eve to come forward."
Police responded to the reported shooting at 12:02 a.m. on Jan. 1 and found an adult victim, according to Liening. The victim was transported to Broward Health Medical Center and pronounced dead.
Dillon told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he had some medical training as a flight attendant and tried to treat Nunes’ wound. Once first responders arrived, Dillon said he was ordered to stay inside as Nunes was wheeled away from the scene.
The home where Nunes was shot is on the south side of the Middle River, directly across the waterway from Wilton Manors, and the Sun-Sentinel reported the bullet may have come from that side of the river.
