Woman chased into store and shot dead by ex-partner in Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic.
NEWS:
A woman was chased into a neighborhood store and shot dead by her former partner in Santo Domingo Este on May 13, 2026, hours after she went to a specialized prosecutor's office to report him and seek protection.
The victim was identified as Esmeralda Moronta de los Santos. Authorities identified her former partner as Omar Tejeda Guzmán, 48, and said he killed himself after the shooting.
The killing happened on Puerto Rico Street in the Alma Rosa I neighborhood of Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic.
Security footage records the violent pursuit immediately before the fatal shooting. The images show Moronta running along the street while trying to escape. Tejeda Guzmán follows her, and a handgun can be seen as the pursuit continues.
Moronta reaches a neighborhood corner store, locally known as a colmado, and runs inside in an apparent attempt to get away from him. The armed man follows her into the business. The footage captures the attack inside the store, where he fires at her.
Police said Moronta was struck by multiple gunshots and died at the scene. Investigators identified the firearm used in the attack as a 9mm handgun.
Authorities said Tejeda Guzmán subsequently killed himself.
The shooting occurred at about 4 p.m., according to the preliminary police account. The same account confirmed that Tejeda Guzmán had pursued Moronta along Puerto Rico Street before entering the store where she had sought refuge.
The events immediately preceding the murder later became a central part of the case.
Earlier that day, Moronta had gone with a friend to the Comprehensive Unit for Attention to Gender Violence, Domestic Violence and Sexual Crimes in Santo Domingo Este. The specialized prosecutor's office is also located on Puerto Rico Street, close to the area where the fatal attack occurred.
Authorities later confirmed that Moronta had gone there to file a complaint against her former partner and seek protection.
Records made public after her death indicated that she reported harassment, threats and surveillance by Tejeda Guzmán. The information provided to authorities also included an allegation that he had been tracking her movements through GPS.
Moronta sought protection and a restraining order against him.
A declaration record prepared by the prosecutor's office on May 13 states that Moronta was offered transfer to a protected shelter for victims of gender-based violence. According to that document, she decided not to enter the shelter and planned to return home.
The record also stated that officials had explained the shelter option to her and included language saying that the Public Ministry would not assume responsibility for what could happen if she declined that placement.
Officials from the specialized unit later said entry into a protected shelter requires the victim's consent and cannot simply be imposed.
Moronta's refusal to enter a shelter did not end scrutiny of the institutional response.
The Dominican Republic's attorney general ordered an investigation on May 14 into the actions taken after Moronta sought help. The review was specifically intended to determine whether the specialized unit had followed all established procedures for assessing danger and protecting a person reporting gender-based violence.
The inquiry included both the circumstances surrounding the killing and the response provided by authorities after Moronta made her complaint.
The security video supplied a direct visual record of what happened after she left the area. It shows her running from Tejeda Guzmán, trying to put distance between them and ultimately entering the store. He continues after her while armed and follows her inside.
The video therefore establishes the pursuit and shooting as events captured on camera rather than merely a witness account of the attack.
What happened before the visible pursuit depends on official records and the subsequent investigation. Authorities confirmed that Moronta had visited the specialized unit earlier that day, while documents released afterward detailed the harassment and surveillance allegations she had made against her former partner.
Moronta was a baker and entrepreneur who operated a pastry business. She was also the mother of minor children.
The case drew additional scrutiny because the fatal attack occurred shortly after she had sought intervention from the justice system and only a short distance from the specialized office where she had reported her former partner.
The attacker was already dead, leaving no criminal prosecution of Tejeda Guzmán to resolve questions about his conduct or motive beyond the evidence, official records and the recorded attack.
The institutional investigation ordered after the murder had a separate purpose: determining whether every protection procedure required in a high-risk domestic violence complaint had been carried out after Moronta sought help.
News story written by DarkGore.
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