In the late afternoon of May 26, 2022, a dispute that began over clothing tragically escalated, ending the life of 16-year-old Eliel Arnoldo Ortiz. The fatal encounter unfolded in the parking lot of the Longwood at Southern Hills Apartments on Wallace Road in South Nashville. A conflict involving four women, two connected to Ortiz and two to another man, culminated in gunfire.
The man who fired the fatal shot was identified as 43-year-old Jorge Dominguez, a resident of the apartment
complex. Immediately after the shooting, Dominguez fled the scene. He was later located by detectives with the Investigative Team Addressing Neighborhood Shootings at a motel on Briley Parkway. A search of his vehicle uncovered a significant cache of drugs and weapons, including five ounces of methamphetamine, a pound of marijuana, three semi-automatic pistols, and a rifle.
Initially, Dominguez claimed he had acted in self-defense, stating that he only fired his weapon after guns were pointed at him. However, homicide detectives investigated this claim and ultimately determined it to be without merit. Following this determination, a warrant was issued, and Dominguez was charged with criminal homicide for the death of Eliel Arnoldo Ortiz.
At the time of the shooting, Dominguez was already facing unrelated legal troubles. He had been booked the previous night on felony aggravated assault warrants and a vandalism charge stemming from an incident in April where he allegedly fired a shot into the window of a convenience market on Murfreesboro Pike after being denied an alcohol sale due to a lack of identification. In addition to the state charges related to the shooting and the prior incident, Dominguez also faced federal charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
