Police have arrested and identified the man suspected of striking a beloved father with his SUV in Sherman Heights, leaving him dead in the street as he stopped for Mexican food blocks away.
Police confirmed suspect Christopher Nunez, 28, was arrested less than 24 hours after a clear photo was publicly released of the man police believe struck Jason Gordon, 41, near Market and 17th streets just before 2 a.m. on Sunday.
Community tips sent officers to a home on the 5400 block of Timothy Drive near Oak Park where they found the suspect's vehicle, a 2008 GMC Envoy, and identified Nunez as the suspected driver, SDPD said.
Nunez was booked into County Jail on felony hit-and-run charges, police said.
Police also said that the city's smart street lights helped police track the suspect's vehicle along with security footage from the taco shop.
SDPD said the suspect struck Jason Gordon and dragged him with his vehicle for about 100 feet as he sped off.
Gordon, a father of twin one-year-old daughters and husband to Katie Gordon, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the crash, the driver stopped for food at Humberto's Taco Shop, located less than a mile away from the deadly crash site, SDPD said. A surveillance camera captured the suspect ordering food from an employee.
The driver then struck a sedan as he left the taco shop. Two women confronted the suspect before he sped off, police said.
Police released photos on Tuesday pushing for the public's help in locating the suspect: a photo of an SUV, possibly a silver GMC Envoy with damage to the left headlight and front of the vehicle, and a photo of the suspect ordering food at Humberto's.
The next morning, an arrest was made.
Jason Gordon, identified by family members on Monday, was described as his family's "rock."
"Jason was an amazing soul. We met later in life and fell in love," wife Katie Gordon told NBC 7.
The father of two was originally from Kansas City, Mo. and moved to San Diego about 10 years ago.
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"[The driver] cheated him of watching his girls grow up, being my husband and family man," Katie Gordon said. "I just don't know who would do something like this."
A GoFundMe page was created to help support Gordon's family.
“That is really, really sad. Nobody wants that to happen to their loved ones,” said neighbor Adrian, who said his girlfriend could hear the aftermath of the deadly hit and run. “We don’t know who [the driver] was, I hope they catch him because it was an injustice that happened.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call San Diego Police at 619-531-2000.
