Ivan Martinez, a 19-year-old Hispanic male, was shot and killed on December 11, 2022, in a strip center parking lot on Mesa Drive in Houston, Texas. Officers responding to a shooting call around 9 p.m. found Martinez unresponsive in the driver’s seat of his vehicle; he had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses told police the shooting occurred during a robbery that took place during a narcotics transaction. Investigators identified a 16-year-old male as the shooter; that juvenile fled the scene in a cream-white sedan and later turned himself in to the Houston Police Department on January 5, 2023. He was charged with murder and referred to the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department.

Martinez’s family and the local community have been deeply affected by the killing, which raises questions about drug-related violence and juvenile involvement in serious crimes. If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about the events that night, please share what you know with investigators.