On the night of April 27, 2023, at about 11:30 p.m., Winston-Salem officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 1300 block of North Liberty Street and were alerted to a vehicle crash at East Fourteenth Street and Highland Avenue. The driver, 41-year-old Miguel Tomas Ortiz, was found dead inside a car that had struck a utility pole. Investigators determined Ortiz had been shot while driving near Fourteenth Street and North Liberty Street, then attempted to flee before losing control and crashing.

Ortiz was a well-known local tattoo artist who owned his own shop. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Miguel Tomas Ortiz and Lorena Patricia Arrivillaga and is survived by children Jayliciah Milani, Lujian Miguel, and Idalys Luz, plus several siblings and extended family. No arrests have been announced and the Winston-Salem Police Department continues to investigate.

Did anyone in the community see activity around North Liberty Street or Fourteenth Street that night or have information that could help investigators?