KHN – Police said on Sunday that two suspects had been arrested in connection with a shooting that killed one man and injured another on February 15 in north Lubbock.
Police said the Lubbock Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit acquired an arrest warrant for Joe Angel Martinez, 20. Martinez was detained by TAG detectives in the 2900 block of East Bates on Friday around 11:30 p.m. Martinez has been placed into the Lubbock County Detention Center and charged with homicide. His bond was set at $500,000.
A 12-year-old kid has also been detained in connection with this case. The adolescent was booked into the Lubbock County Adolescent Justice Center for Theft of a Firearm, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon.
The arrests over the weekend occurred after police released surveillance photographs on Friday of suspects thought to be involved in the shooting that killed 36-year-old Adam Hernandez and badly injured 37-year-old Larry Moreno.
Officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of Jarvis Street at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday after receiving a complaint of a fight in progress, according to an LPD statement.
Officers later discovered Hernandez with a gunshot wound in a car in the 1000 block of North Avenue Q Drive. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
The driver of the vehicle, Moreno, was also shot. He was transported to University Medical Center by ambulance with critical but not life-threatening injuries.
Following Hernandez’s death, the case was turned over to the Lubbock Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit.
During the early stages of the investigation, it appears that there was a verbal confrontation inside a store in the 1200 block of Jarvis Street involving the victims and other individuals, which spilled outside and resulted in many violent altercations.
According to preliminary evidence, Hernandez and Moreno got into an SUV and drove through the parking lot sometime amid the physical altercations outside. When the vehicle came to a stop, it appears that a suspect or suspects opened fire, striking both males inside.
Moreno drove for a short distance before coming to a halt in front of a different company in the 1000 block of North Avenue Q Drive, where he was greeted by patrol officers.
Other details concerning the shooting, including how Martinez and the juvenile were tied to the violence, were not immediately available because the investigation is ongoing.
However, court records show that a Lubbock police sergeant recognized Martinez as a suspect in the shooting early on in the case.
Martinez was then linked to a residence in the 800 block of East Fordham Street.
Three days after the incident, police and investigators from the Texas Department of Public Safety observed the house and detained Martinez when he was seen leaving via the front door.
A search of the home turned up a weapon that detectives believe was used in the shooting, a green leafy material thought to be marijuana, and a plastic bag containing a white crystal substance thought to be methamphetamine.
Martinez was jailed on felony and misdemeanor narcotics charges at the Lubbock County Detention Center on February 18 and freed on bail a few days later.
Anyone with information about this case is requested to contact Crime Line at 806-741-1000. Callers may be eligible for a $5,000 prize for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the culprit or suspects involved. Callers can stay anonymous.