Bridgeport Police Charge 57-Year-Old Jorge Ortiz in Oct. 12 Road Rage Killing

Q: What sparked the bizarre chain of events that led a stranger to fatally target a grieving father in broad daylight?

The violence appears to have been sparked by a sudden, seemingly random street encounter, not any prior relationship or ongoing dispute. According to Bridgeport police and the arrest warrant, Jorge “George” Ortiz was walking on Park Avenue with a woman who appeared to be trying to get away from him when Nelson Batista drove by in his SUV and turned onto Cottage Street. Investigators say Ortiz then put his hands on — or slapped — the passenger side of Batista’s vehicle. Batista stopped, got out, and approached Ortiz. From there, the confrontation escalated almost immediately. Police say Ortiz was already in a fighting stance, punched Batista, and the two men struggled on the ground for control of a handgun for roughly 45 seconds. Batista was shot once in the chest, and video later showed Ortiz striking him in the head with the gun before running away. Authorities have said Batista and Ortiz did not know each other, and Mayor Joe Ganim said it did not appear Batista had provoked the attack. Police have described the killing as an apparent road-rage incident and a random act. So the “bizarre chain of events” appears to have begun when Ortiz allegedly confronted or followed a woman, then made contact with Batista’s passing SUV — triggering a brief roadside confrontation that turned deadly in broad daylight.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 21

Jorge "George" Ortiz, 57, was arrested after a brief foot chase Monday, ending a week-long manhunt over the Oct. 12 fatal shooting of 48-year-old Nelson Batista in Bridgeport.
Police said surveillance and cellphone video showed Ortiz, a stranger to Batista, confront him after a traffic dispute, punch him, struggle over a handgun and fire at least two shots; Batista was hit in the chest and died at a hospital.
Murder and weapons charges followed tips from witnesses and a detective's recognition of Ortiz from prior encounters, including a pending misdemeanor drug case from March.
Ortiz had previously received a 30-year sentence for a 1992 felony murder conviction and was off parole when Batista was killed in what police called a random daytime attack.