Friends remember slain taxi driver as person who helped others

Officers called to the scene at about 1:25 a.m. found Jose Nicolas Dominguez, of Raleigh. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers said Dominguez, 55, was working for Amigo Taxi at the time of the shooting.

Monday night, Dominguez’s friends and family came together for support and expressed hope that the people responsible for his death would be behind bars soon.

“We want to make sure there is justice, that justice is served,” said friend Julian Abreu through an interpreter.

Dominguez had been a driver with Amigo Taxi for seven years. Friends and other taxi drivers said his kind and fun-loving spirit was taken too soon, and in the worst way imaginable.

“[He] was always bringing fun to the community and those people that knew him,” said Adris Fortunato, recalling basketball and baseball games with Dominguez.

Raleigh police said multiple suspects were involved in the shooting. No descriptions of the suspects were released, but authorities said they were believed to have left the area in a white car.

A 911 caller told a dispatcher that someone was "lying in the parking lot" of an apartment complex on Hodges Creek Drive.

"I pulled up and saw a man lying there. He's not moving and he's not responsive," the caller said.

While police pieced together clues, those who gathered Monday night wanted the people responsible to know that the life they took was one well loved. They said Dominguez came to the United States from the Dominican Republic more than a decade ago and quickly gained a reputation as someone people could depend on.

“It didn’t matter what time somebody needed something, he was going to be there. It didn’t matter if it was snowing and you needed help, he was going to go and help you,” said one friend. “This is the person that we all want to be around and that’s who we lost today.”

Friends said Dominguez is a grandfather and has a daughter and son who were flying into the Raleigh area Monday night. The Dominican Association of Raleigh decided to raise money for any expenses that may arise for the family.

Anyone with information that might assist the investigation of the homicide is asked to call Raleigh Crime Stoppers at 919-834-4357.