While Jorge Hernandez was shot fatally in the hips, another woman was wounded. Unfortunately, Jorge did not survive.
No one knows when a regular day can turn into a tragedy that one can never forget. That's exactly what happened to a family in Phoenix. It's a reminder for everyone who takes life for granted, to value their time with the family a little more.
Jorge Hernandez never thought that his trip to the dollar store would turn out to be his last day with his family. The father-of-five had gone to the store to buy some milk for his baby when a man opened fire. While another woman who was in her 50s was wounded, Jorge was fatally hit. Knowing that he was living on borrowed time, the man called his wife one last time.
‘Take care of the kids’: Dad shot at store while getting milk for baby calls wife before dying [Report] https://t.co/vly9DWTKkz via @crimeonlinenews
— Nancy Grace (@NancyGrace) December 16, 2020
Marlene Jimenez was at work when she received Jorge's call, to whom she was married for 10 years. Talking to Fox 10, the devastated wife gave details of the last call and said, "He tells me that he needs me to go for the kids because he just got shot."
"His last words to me were that I made him the happiest man these 10 years, and that he wanted me to take care of his kids for him and that he loved me so much." Jorge spent the last of his strength talking to his wife for one last time, telling her how much he loved her and their children. Even though Jorge was rushed o the hospital, he did not survive. The bullet had hit his hip.
The tragedy took place a few weeks before Christmas. Jorge was supposed to take his kids children Christmas shopping the day after he was shot. Remembering her beloved husband, Marlene said, "He loved his kids so much, so it just kills me that my kids are gonna be here without their father." Making an emotional plea to the public, she added, "If anybody can help us find the person that did this damage, I really do want my husband to have justice because it wasn't his time to go. He still had a lot to live for."
The authorities arrested Deon D. Finley, a 22-year-old man suspected to be connected to the shooting. The police were able to get information on him from surveillance footage that was recorded at the store. In the footage, he was seen driving away in a car. The young man was arrested on suspicion of homicide and sent to the Fourth Avenue Jail, according to AZ Central.
According to the court documents, a man was allegedly seen shooting at the store from the passenger seat of the car before it pulled away. Earlier, Deon was seen purchasing something from the store. Witness statements and electronic transaction data helped tie him to the crime scene, following which he was arrested near Roosevelt Street and Estrella Parkway in Goodyear.
If the suspect's statement is to be believed, he did visit the store, but he was not the one who fired the gun. However, during the interview conducted by the police, the other person who was there with Deon that day in the car, said that it was in fact the 22-year-old who shot at the store.
Meanwhile, Jorge's wife Marline has now created a GoFundMe page in order to raise funds for his final wish which is to rest in his hometown next to his father. She wrote, "Jorge dedicated his life to his children and wife he was a hard-working father and husband who always did everything he could to make sure his family was good."
"As his family, we are all devastated by this unexpected loss. He is now in a better place and resting in peace but leaves behind a hurting family. From the bottom of our hearts we ask you to keep us in your prayers and if possible please consider donating if you are able to do so."
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