In another thrilling installment of “Lubbock Crime Mad Libs,” an 18-year-old named Jacob Martinez was arrested after a drug deal managed to escalate into exactly what every drug deal in Lubbock seems to escalate into: gunfire. Police say the whole thing went down Monday evening on East Baylor Street, where a victim took a bullet to the thigh during what witnesses describe as a surprisingly calm exchange—right up until the bullets started flying.
According to witnesses, the victim approached a red sedan, chatted with the occupants like they were comparing casserole recipes, and then suddenly the peace was broken by multiple gunshots. The sedan sped away, because of course it did, and one witness even helpfully captured it all on video. (Lubbock: where your neighbors won’t mow after 8 a.m., but they will record your felony.)
Police tracked the red sedan to its juvenile driver, who explained that she and her teen crew were just out for a delightful evening of selling illegal drugs and swapping a gun for more illegal drugs. The male in the backseat—identified by the Texas Anti-Gang unit as Martinez—decided that was the perfect moment to start blasting. Martinez later told officers he thought the victim was armed and ready to shoot everyone in the car, so naturally the solution was to go full Wild West in a residential neighborhood.
When police searched Martinez’s home—with consent from him and his parents—they found a black-and-tan Taurus 9mm tucked lovingly under the living room couch, because who needs throw pillows when you can accessorize with evidence?
Martinez is now sitting in the Lubbock County Detention Center on a neat $101,500 bond, presumably reconsidering at least one of the decisions that got him there.
At this point, should Lubbock just go ahead and install gun safes in the living room furniture?
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/local-news/illegal-drug-sale-shooting/
