Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve, Angel Nunes decided it was time to visit his partner, Chris Dillon, who was alone at his Fort Lauderdale home.
Nunes, 50, made it through the door just in time for the two men to enjoy a celebratory embrace on the pool deck behind Dillon’s home in a quiet, well-appointed neighborhood on the south side of the Middle River. Moments later, Nunes, described by friends as a generous and gregarious man, was dying in Dillon’s arms, the victim of an apparent stray bullet that may have come from the Wilton Manors side of the waterway.
Police have said little thus far, and as of Thursday, had not officially identified Nunes as the victim.
“At approximately 12:02 a.m, FLPD responded to a shooting in the 700 block of NE 17th Court,” according to a statement issued Tuesday from public information specialist Casey Lienieg. “Upon arrival, one adult male victim was located.”
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue took the man to Broward Health Medical Center, “where he was later pronounced dead,” said police, and added that the homicide unit is investigating “to determine the circumstances leading up to this incident.”
In an email message on Thursday, the Wilton Manors Police Department said it has not interviewed anyone in the case.
“As of now, our detectives have not interviewed anyone or Mr. Dillon,” said Detective Haley Plante. “This is an on-going investigation that is currently being handled by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.”
Thursday morning, a neighborhood resident reported seeing police inspecting an area on the Wilton Manors side of the river.
Word of Nunes’ death quickly swept the tranquil neighborhood Wednesday as Fort Lauderdale police and the city’s fire-rescue unit swarmed the home on Northeast 17th Court. As New Year’s Day evolved from the early morning hours to late afternoon, members of the two men’s wide circle of friends visited to pay their respects.
Distraught and without sleep, Dillon told the Sun Sentinel how Nunes’ death was yet another major loss in his life. A sister in Fort Pierce passed away in November. His husband died two years ago. And now, he is battling cancer.
He said Nunes, an employee of a corporate document services firm, had spent the day at the house before deciding to go out with two friends for New Year’s Eve in Wilton Manors. Dillon said Nunes urged him to accompany the group but he declined, electing to stay home, cleaning up around the house.
She turned 10 last week. A stray bullet killed her on Jan. 1, Miami-Dade police say
A surprise visit
Then, he said, Nunes unexpectedly returned shortly before midnight.
“At 11:58, he surprises me,” Dillon recalled. “He goes, ‘you home?’ He comes around the corner and has this big grin on his face. ‘Hey,’ he goes, ‘I didn’t want you to spend New Year’s alone so I raced over here.’”
The pair adjourned to the pool deck area behind the house.
“I took his hand and he took mine … and in my mind, I thought there is no more wavering: ‘I love this man,’” Dillon said.
Moments later, Nunes went limp. Dillon says he thought he saw a “spark” as a projectile entered his friend’s lower left side. Nunes had been standing with his back to the waterway.
“It came from through those trees,” Dillon said, pointing to a clutch of low-level palms between his house and the Middle River. ”It just bee-lined through there. That’s where the police said it looked like it came from.”
A 40-year airline flight attendant with medical training, Dillon said he tried to tend to Nunes’ wound with the help of an emergency dispatcher over the telephone.
After police arrived, he said he was ordered to stay inside as fire-rescue workers examined Nunes and wheeled him away on a gurney, apparently still alive.
Dillon wondered, why him?
Troy Liggett, who lives nearby and is president of the Middle River Terrace Homeowners Association, said criminal violence is a rarity for the area, which is populated by attorneys and businesspeople.
“The police always say you’re so safe,” Liggett said. “We’ve had nothing like this around here in recent memory. (It’s) completely out of character.”
Memories of a generous man
Dillon and the two men’s friends said they want to ensure that Nunes is remembered as a man who cared about the people who knew him, sharing his time when people asked for advice, and providing comfort when they needed it.
Yanira Roman of Plantation said he was “like a brother.”
“His family is my family.” she said. “He was very gracious to us.”
Roman said they have both lost mutual friends in recent years. “My mom passed away in February and he was there for me.”
Daniel Escobar said he was Nunes’ “upstairs neighbor” in Wilton Manors and considered him to be a personal confidante.
“He would be the person you could tell your secrets to and he will not judge you,” Escobar said. ”He would always have the perfect words to comfort you — to make you feel okay.”