Search warrants hint at possible motive in quadruple shooting at Durham club
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Police allege Santos Escobar fired into La Morena after being denied reentry.
- Surveillance footage and witness accounts linked a Nissan Altima to the scene.
- Escobar has yet to be arrested in the killing.
The man accused of killing a woman and injuring three other people in a shooting last year at a Durham nightclub was angry over being denied reentry to the club, according to newly released search warrants.
Santos Roberto Funes Escobar, 20, of Durham is charged with 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, shooting, The News & Observer previously reported.
Durham police asked the public last week for help finding Escobar, who remained on the run as of Friday afternoon.
Officers were called to the shooting at La Morena nightclub on University Drive about 3:45 a.m., according to search warrants.
Karla Fuentes, 31, was shot in the head and died several days later after being taken off life support. A second victim walked to the hospital after being shot in the face but survived, while paramedics took a third victim shot in the back to the hospital, the warrants state.
A fourth person was shot in the foot and took himself to the hospital the next day, the warrants say. The N&O is not naming any of the surviving victims to protect their privacy.
A security guard told police he was closing the club about 3 a.m. when a man asked to use the bathroom, according to the warrants. He let the man inside, and after using the restroom, the man briefly left, then tried to reenter with two friends to continue drinking.
“The security guard said the male who came in to use the restroom became very angry, walked over to a vehicle, retrieved a handgun, and walked back over to the club,” the warrants state.
That’s when Escobar allegedly fired into La Morena, striking multiple people. The guard was able to describe the man to police, and the alleged shooter left a distinctive black and green hat on a pool table, which police took as evidence, according to the warrants.
Surveillance footage from two nearby businesses confirmed three men had arrived in a red Nissan Altima about 3 a.m. The driver could be seen grabbing a gun from the car at 3:43 a.m. and firing into the club before all three men fled in the Altima, the warrants allege.
An anonymous source provided police with the suspected shooter’s phone number four days later, according to the warrants. The Altima was found at Crossdale Flats Apartments on Bogarde Street on Oct. 17, 2024.
When police found the car’s owner, he confirmed he’d given Escobar permission to use the Altima the day before the shooting, the warrants state. An iPhone found in the back of the Altima provided location data showing it was at the scene of the crime.
A warrant for Escobar’s arrest was issued in May. It’s not clear what his last known location was or if police believe he is still in the state.
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 21, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Search warrants hint at possible motive in quadruple shooting at Durham club."
