On Monday night, a man left a restaurant on 5400 block of South Avenue Q Drive and upon arguing with seven people in the Villa Town Motel in Lubbock, opened fire on them.
Twenty-three-year old Adrian Vicente Castillo was taken into custody on Tuesday as the sole suspect in the Lubbock shooting, local authorities say.
The Lubbock Police Department states that Castillo had left the hotel a few minutes before midnight. The police are still questioning victims and witnesses, but so far the story seems straightforward.
Castillo exited the restaurant and walked across the street toward the Villa Town Motel. Collaborating accounts detail that Castillo had a verbal altercation with several people who were situated on the second-story balcony of the motel. No reason was given as to what instigated the verbal exchange.
A few minutes after the argument ensued, police commented, Castillo pulled out his gun and opened fire on the small crowd at the balcony. The authorities did not reveal how many shots were fired but said in a statement that none of the victims were facing life-threatening injuries.
Tiffany Pelt, the spokesperson for the Lubbock Police Department, added, “Witnesses and victims are still being questioned to get the full picture of the events of Monday night. The department received several complaints of shots fired around the time of the incident.” Pelt said that all witnesses had identified Castillo as the shooter.
Upon arrival at the scene, Pelt went on to say, the officers first scouted the area to ensure Castillo had fled. Witnesses said he had left in a car, though no vehicle description was given. “The officers on the scene then gave first aid to the gunshot victims, none of whom were fatally injured.” Several hours saw the victims rushed to a local hospital by the paramedics, where all are reported to be stable. One victim was more hurt than the others. The six victims were Segundo Garcia Jr., Marissa Bengoa, Stephen Sauseda, Jacquelyn Aguillon, Israel Romo, John Ramirez, and Manuel DeLeon. It is unclear whether or not knew Castillo knew the victims.
Suspect Caught
Castillo was arrested by police while as he was between 73rd Street and Utica Avenue. According to the police, Castillo came in without incident.
Castillo will be charged with a felony count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently in the Lubbock County Jail awaiting his hearing. His bond has been set at 500,000 USD. There has been no listing an attorney of record for him.
Authorities say that this is not the first time they have had to deal with Castillo in relation to a shooting. Back in 2015, Castillo was involved in a shootout in which one person sustained gunshot wounds. The victim in Castillo’s previous shooting is not linked to any of the seven victims of this year’s shooting, the authorities confirmed. Castillo was to serve out a six-year prison sentence which was reduced after he made a plea deal to give up his partners in that shooting.
His trial date has not been set.
