What happened to Valeria Ortega? Search for suspect underway as Manhattan mom is shot to dead

Valeria Ortega, a 64-year-old woman, was shot and killed by a stray bullet on her way to a supermarket in Inwood on December 26, 2022, police said in a statement.

On Monday, December 26, 2022, Valeria Ortega was killed while walking to the supermarket with her son. Police said the suspects, who were reportedly on a two-wheeler, fled the scene after the Manhattan mom was shot in the head by a stray bullet in the area of Dyckman Street and Vermilyea Avenue within the Inwood section of Manhattan.

As per the New York Post, Ortega’s husband, Vicente Garcia, who lived down the street from the crime scene with his wife, discovered she was dead after his son, Charlie, who was with Ortega at the time, rushed to tell him what happened to his mother. Garcia said his son, incoherent with grief, could barely describe the tragic scene.

“She was on her way to the supermarket. My son said, ‘Look at my mother!’ My child told me, ‘Come see my mother!”

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Valeria Ortega was rushed to a Harlem hospital after she was shot near a supermarket

On Monday, December 26, 2022, Valeria Ortega was walking near Dyckman Street and Vermilyea Avenue to a supermarket with her son when she was fatally struck by a stray bullet at about 11.31 a.m. Ortega was reportedly rushed to a Harlem hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

As per surveillance video obtained by CBS, two suspects on a two-wheeled scooter were captured fleeing the scene. Officials have asked anyone with any information on the suspects to notify law enforcement.

Edgar Garcia, who works as a clerk at a GNC store, reportedly heard the shots while inside the store. Garcia then rushed out to find the victim lying face down on the street. In a statement to the New York Daily News, Garcia said:

“We heard three shots and ducked down. After a couple of minutes, we went outside. There were a lot of people around. The woman was facedown flat. She had a cart. She was bleeding out.”

Valeria Ortega, who lived near the supermarket, was described as a kind woman by friends and family, who were devastated by her death. An unidentified friend of Ortega told the outlet:

“All she was about was her family. She took care of her sick mother who was on oxygen. The lady on the fourth floor, she’s blind, she took care of her too. The lady isn’t even related to her.”

Amaury Bujosa, who was leaving a medical clinic at the time, said that there has been a significant increase in crime in the area. As per the post, Ortega was reportedly struck with a bullet just minutes after a 26-year-old man was seriously injured after he was shot near the area. Authorities have not established a connection between the crimes but are investigating the case. Police are still pursuing the suspects involved in the shooting.