Minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve Tuesday, Angel Nunez made a surprise visit to his boyfriend’s home in Fort Lauderdale.
“He says, ‘I didn’t want you to spend New Year’s Eve by yourself,’” said Chris Dillon, Nunez’s partner.
Related
Man claims he shot a gay elder in self-defense. Witnesses say “hate” played a role.
Medical experts, a sheriff, and the elder’s friends are all casting doubt on the shooter’s version of events.
Nunez, 50, showed up at Dillon’s home across the Middle River from Wilton Manors, where Christmas decorations lit up the waterway on all sides. With moments to spare before the clock struck 12, the couple embraced on the patio and took in the view.
Stay connected to your community
Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
As fireworks exploded in the distance, “I grabbed the back of his head and he grabbed the back of my head and forcefully had the most beautiful kiss, it was so beautiful,” Dillon recalled.
“I said ‘I love you.’ He said ‘I love you,’ — and then he fell,” Dillon said.
Nunez had been struck by what police believe was a stray bullet.
“He’s standing here, and all of a sudden he went like this,” Dillon said, describing Nunez pulling at his shirt front. “And I saw out the corner of my eye, a flash, like a tiny flash, and then he fell.”
“I did not think he was dead,” Dillon told 6 South Florida News through tears. “I did not think he was dead.”
Dillon said he tried to get Nunez up, but his boyfriend, a father of two from a previous relationship, was unresponsive. Dillon called 911.
“I lifted up his T-shirt and about this size — not even an inch — was a slit” on Nunez’s stomach, Dillon said.
The small wound on Nunez’s stomach, seemingly out of nowhere, would prove fatal.
Despite the efforts of police and paramedics, who responded just minutes after midnight, Nunez was declared dead hours later.
“I cried, I started sobbing on the floor,” Dillon said through tears. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Dillon believes the stray bullet came from across the Middle River from the Wilton Manors side.
“Figure the odds of where he was standing,” said Dillon.
“The bullet truly came down from this direction,” he said, pointing across the waterway, still lit up with holiday decorations.
Dillon described Nunez as a kind spirit who was fun-loving and hard-working, now silenced by the negligence of someone who may not even know the consequences of their actions.
“You shoot up in the air for fun — you can’t do it in a city,” said Dillon. “My God, you killed somebody.”
Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.