On December 30, 2021, 18-year-old Zequael Zeke Isaus Diaz-Martinez of Lubbock was found dead in a vehicle at the Park Meadow Villa Apartments in East Lubbock after sustaining a gunshot wound. Officers responded to a shots-fired call at about 8:30 p.m.; Diaz-Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators say Diaz-Martinez and a 15-year-old male had arranged a meeting for the illegal sale of firearms. An argument during that meeting escalated and Diaz-Martinez was shot. The 15-year-old was arrested and booked into the Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center on charges of murder and possession of a stolen firearm.

On December 31 investigators located a vehicle connected to additional suspects. A traffic stop was attempted; the driver fled, officers executed a forcible stop, and two more juveniles, a 16-year-old and another 15-year-old, were arrested and charged with murder. The driver, 18-year-old Roderick Johnson, was arrested for evading in a motor vehicle. The homicide investigation is ongoing.

Did anyone in the community witness the meeting at Park Meadow Villa Apartments or have information about the firearms transaction?