For seventeen years, the Fortuna Mini Market in Camden, New Jersey, was the livelihood of 40-year-old Luis Morales, a beloved store owner. On the morning of Tuesday, July 19, 2022, his life was tragically cut short in a brazen robbery that shook the community. Just before 11 a.m., police received multiple 911 calls reporting a robbery at the market located in the 1200 block of Louis Street.
Upon their arrival, officers found Luis Morales inside his store, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased a short time later. The news of his death sent ripples of grief through the neighborhood, where he was known as a hardworking family man. Candles flickered on the sidewalk outside his store as loved ones and community members gathered to mourn his passing, unfurling a banner in his memory.
Morales left behind two young sons, aged ten years and ten months, and two adult daughters who lived in Puerto Rico.
The investigation into the murder of Luis Morales led to the apprehension of two suspects. The day after the shooting, on July 20, 2022, 31-year-old Yaphet Norman of Camden was arrested and charged with felony murder. A few months later, on October 27, 2022, a second suspect, 44-year-old Nigel Serrano, also from Camden, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force. Serrano faced charges of felony murder and weapons offenses in connection with the fatal shooting. Both men were lodged at the Camden County Correctional Facility following their arrests.
