Murder-suicide, homicide, car chase make for violent weekend in Oklahoma City

Sunday, May 1st 2005, 11:52 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An apparent murder-suicide, a fatal shooting, a car chase that turned deadly and a church fund-raiser that turned violent made for a busy weekend for Oklahoma City police.

Officers were called to a south-side home, where they found Maria Duarte, 21, dead and her estranged husband Jose Hernandez wounded around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Lt. Patrick Stewart said.

Hernandez, 25, later died at a hospital.

A witness at the home told police the couple had been arguing when Hernandez produced a gun and shot Duarte before shooting himself, police said. The couple was married but had recently separated, Stewart said.

On Sunday, a man who was in a car that police said fled as they were trying to stop it died after jumping into the Oklahoma River as he tried to get away.

Officers were attempting to stop the car, which they believed was connected with purse snatchings that happened earlier day, police Lt. William Loftis said.

The driver led police on a chase for about 10 minutes before crashing near the Interstate 35 and Interstate 40 exchange.

The driver, 22-year-old Lindsey Lewis, was arrested but the passenger ran across I-35 and attempted to swim across the river.

"I saw the suspect jump in the water and he swam out about halfway," said police Master Sgt. Kevin Southerland. "Then he started flailing around like he couldn't make it."

Officers and firefighters dove into the cold, murky water to help the man and pulled him out, but he died later at a hospital.

"It doesn't look that deep, but once you get in there it's very deep. I couldn't touch the bottom," Southerland said.

Police did not release the man's name.

A passing motorist alerted officers when she saw the body of a man in a car wash bay about 1:40 p.m.

Stewart said the unidentified man was dead when officers arrived at the car wash just east of I-35.

"At this point, we are investigating this as a homicide," Stewart said.

The motorist told police she heard a gunshot while she was inside a grocery store next to the car wash.

As the woman was driving away, she noticed the body. She and several residents stopped to provide assistance and called police.

About 2 1/2 hours later, police were called to a south-side park, where a fight broke out and shots were fired at a church fund-raiser.

Oklahoma City police say more than 1,500 people were gathered at Wiley Post Park for a car show benefiting the Oklahoma City Restoration Church when the altercation happened.

A man who was struck in the shoulder by the shot was taken to a hospital for treatment, Stewart said.

The man's name wasn't released and his condition couldn't be obtained.

Numerous assaults were reported in addition to the shooting, but Stewart said many people left the scene before officers could arrive.

Juanito Herrera, 18, was arrested at the park when an officer saw him with a sawed-off shotgun.

Stewart said police arrested Herrera on suspicion of having an illegal weapon, but they're not sure whether he was involved in the shooting.

No other arrests were made.