Family disputes suspect’s claim after beloved chef shot, killed outside Doraville restaurant

The family of a beloved chef shot and killed outside the Doraville restaurant where he worked is saying an allegation police say preceded the deadly shooting simply isn’t true.

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Doraville police said officers responded to reports of gunfire around midnight Sunday, Oct. 25, in the 5700 block of Buford Highway.

Officers later found Pablo Gutierrez-Gallegos unresponsive outside a restaurant in the 5800 block of Buford Highway. Police said officers attempted lifesaving measures, but DeKalb County paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police said two other people who were inside the restaurant were injured by glass fragments caused by the gunfire. Both were evaluated by paramedics at the scene.

Gutierrez-Gallegos’ family told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers that he was a chef at the restaurant and had worked there for about 10 months. He was working when the shooting happened.

“It’s really hard because he’s not here anymore, and it’s not because he didn’t want to be but because he was taken from us,” his stepdaughter, Brenda Balderas, said.

Police arrested 44-year-old Daniel Roman-Cortez shortly after the shooting. Investigators said Roman-Cortez attempted to leave the area in a blue pickup truck before officers stopped him.

According to Doraville police, Roman-Cortez told officers, “I shot him, I killed him.”

Investigators said Roman-Cortez claimed Gutierrez-Gallegos was having an affair with his wife. Gutierrez-Gallegos’ family strongly disputes that allegation and said the woman was his co-worker.

“He just started assuming and getting all of these things in his head that my dad was with his wife, and that wasn’t true,” Balderas said.

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The family said Gutierrez-Gallegos worked seven days a week and had previously told them that his co-worker was fearful of her husband.

“My dad wasn’t that type of person. He had his problems and his issues, but he never would have hurt someone, and he didn’t deserve to be killed,” Balderas said.

The killing comes just days before Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a time when the family would ordinarily remember loved ones who have died.

“The people who have passed away can come and visit us on Earth,” Balderas said. “It’s really hard because I know Christmas especially.”

Roman-Cortez is now facing 11 charges, including seven aggravated assault charges as well as malice murder and felony murder. A judge denied him bond.

For Gutierrez-Gallegos’ family, his absence is what matters most.

“Him being behind bars isn’t really going to do anything for me,” Balderas said.

The family has created a fundraiser to help with expenses following Gutierrez-Gallegos’ death.

Donate to the family’s GoFundMe fundraiser

The Doraville Police Department said it is investigating the shooting in coordination with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

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