A woman died in a Durham nightclub shooting. Police need help finding shooter.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham police are asking for the public’s help to locate Santos Escobar.
- An indictment charges Escobar with murder, three attempted murders and four other charges.
- The fatal shooting took place Oct. 12, 2024.
Durham police are asking for the public’s help finding a man charged with murder in a shooting at a nightclub last year.
Santos Roberto Funes Escobar, 20, of Durham faces charges of first-degree murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder and four counts of discharging a weapon into occupied property in the Oct. 12, 2024, incident, police said Thursday.
The announcement is the first public update on the case since last year, when police initially announced a man and a woman had been shot at La Morena Nightclub on University Drive, The News & Observer previously reported.
Court records indicate that woman was 31-year-old Karla Fuentes, who appears to have died three days after the shooting, according to her obituary.
Escobar was indicted on the eight charges May 5, court documents show. The indictment alleges he used a handgun to fire into the club, killing Fuentes and wounding three men, whom The N&O is not naming to protect their privacy.
An order for Escobar’s arrest was issued May 6, according to court records. It’s not clear why police didn’t seek the public’s help in locating him until Thursday.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator D.W. Bussell at 919-560-4440 ext. 29254 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200 or online at www.durhamcrimestoppers.org. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases, and callers never have to identify themselves.
This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 11:48 AM with the headline "A woman died in a Durham nightclub shooting. Police need help finding shooter.."
