Coroner IDs woman killed in South Morton Avenue shooting

EVANSVILLE – An Evansville man has been preliminarily charged with murder after a child reportedly called 911 and told dispatchers he believed his mother had been shot and killed.

Jason Duwann Mortez Horne, 44, was booked into the Vanderburgh County jail just after 11:30 p.m. Thursday on preliminarily charges of murder and possession of a firearm by a serious felon.

The victim was identified by the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office as Jennifer Gorecki, 43. According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case, Horne told investigators he'd been in a long-term relationship with Gorecki, and that he considered her his "wife" even though they weren't legally married.

He'd been drinking throughout the day, he reportedly told police, and remembered having an argument with Gorecki. But he didn't recall her being shot.

The shooting

Evansville police were dispatched to a home in the 1600 block of South Morton Avenue around 5:30 p.m. after the child had initially called 911.

"(The child) stated his mom was possibly deceased and lying on the floor," the affidavit states.

An adult at the residence, later identified as the child's grandmother, took the phone and told officers Gorecki had been shot in the "stomach area." She attempted life-saving measures until first responders arrived. Gorecki was taken to the hospital, but later pronounced dead.

Horne claimed victim shot herself; police say evidence doesn't support that

As the investigation began, officers went to another home in the 1600 block of South Morton to speak with the juvenile and Horne.

It took several minutes for Horne to come to the door, investigators wrote. When he did, he claimed to not know that anyone had been shot.

He and the child were eventually taken to EPD headquarters for questioning. According to the affidavit, the child told police he'd been playing at a friend's house nearby when he heard Horne yelling the names of family members. When the child got to the home where the shooting occurred, he reportedly saw his mother, Gorecki, lying on the floor of a bedroom and struggling to breathe.

He told investigators Horne was in the home as well, repeating the words "no, no, God please." The boy's grandmother arrived shortly, told him to call 911, and leave the home.

Investigators also spoke with the grandmother. She said Horne initially told her Gorecki had shot herself. But according to the affidavit, the victim didn't have any burn marks on her clothes, meaning the shot couldn't have come from close range. The wound also indicated the shot came from an angle from her right side, the police wrote.

Horne

When police asked Horne to explain what happened, he reportedly said he had "no idea." He claimed to not even know why he was at EPD headquarters.

He said he'd been drinking at home earlier in the day. Gorecki was there, too, he said, but wasn't drinking with him.

At one point they started arguing, he said, likely about his drinking. He repeatedly denied remembering anything about the shooting, including hearing a gunshot. But police said he eventually told them that he knew he wasn't supposed to have a firearm because he's a "federal felon."

Despite that, he had a gun in the home, he reportedly said, and "that was the only one, the one that she had, the one that she got shot with."

The investigator asked how Horne could know what gun she was shot with when he didn't remember the shooting at all. "I don't know what gun she was shot with," Horne countered.

The investigator then left the room, he wrote. When he returned, he found Horne "apparently sleeping on the floor," the affidavit states.

Horne later admitted he'd been in "rage" earlier in the day. He remembered snippets of the reported argument, as well as walking into his living room and then yelling for family members outside − the thing that drew the juvenile back to the home. Horne reportedly told police he'd been yelling not because of a shooting, but because the argument had been "bad."

Officers obtained a search warrant for the scene and reportedly discovered a Glock 9mm on the bed, with five rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, the affidavit states.

Based on evidence and Horne's statements, police arrested Horne. When they reentered the interview room to take him to the Vanderburgh County jail, they reportedly found Horne sleeping on the floor again. They examined him for injuries and reportedly found a "fresh cut on the center of his chest." When they asked where the cut came from, Horne said he didn't know.

Horne's probable cause hearing was slated for 1 p.m. Friday, court records state.